Thanksgiving

What a lovely Thanksgiving we had!  In addition to having so much to be grateful for we had a chance to just relax on Wednesday so Zion and I got to do some baking.  We made a pumpkin pie and pecan tarts (later I made a rosemary chicken mix for an appetizer and the next  morning a Tollhouse pie).

On Thanksgiving day we took the kids to see The Muppets.  Rob and I both were very excited that a new movie was coming out, it was just to share with them something we had loved when we were kids.  Though Elias was a bit fidgety, preferring to walk up and down the aisle giggling loudly, they all enjoyed it.  Especially the popcorn.  It is possible they enjoy the popcorn more than the movie.

After the movie we head up to my sister’s which is always fun.  It’s small and casual, fun for the kids and the food is fantastic, what more could you ask for?

A few people heading down Turkey Coma Lane.  Must be time to head for home.

South Sound Yarn Crawl 2011

Phase One – Yellow House Yarns.

But first.  Though you might have guessed already, a Yarn Crawl, is much like a pub crawl.  Only more fiber and less alcohol.  A lot less alcohol.  And, in my opinion, a lot more fun.  Especially when you go with your best friend and your sister (also my best friend).

The South Sound Yarn Crawl is an annual event where participants travel from yarn store to yarn store getting their passports (provided at the first store or downloadable) stamped, entering drawings, receiving free patterns, touching yarn and probably buying some or a lot, meeting other fiber artists and just generally have a fantastic time.

I hadn’t planned on going this year but at the last second recruited by best friend to join me making the trip more enticing with the promise of massive photo ops.  At an even more last second if that is possible my sister joined up.  So early on May 14 the three of us, heavily armed with our Nikons, headed out.  There are too many pictures to show and too much to write for for one post so I’m going to break it up.

Now back to Phase One – Yellow House Yarns.

Yellow House Yarns is my LYS (vocab lesson, LYS = Local Yarn Store) so it seemed the logical place to start.

Yellow House Yarns is, surprise!, a cute yellow house.  It is cozy and inviting and the owners are super friendly and fun to chat with not to mention helpful.

Purple hats for the Period of Purple Crying Campaign.  Love that!  I wish I’d heard of purple crying when I was a new mom.  Gabe used to have screaming jags daily that lasted from 20 minutes to three hours, Zion screamed every second that she was in a car seat for almost her first year and any time I tried to nurse her (I gave up and switched to a bottle when she was six months old and she was fine) and Gideon, well, let’s not go into Gideon right now.  Spread the word, this is a great thing for parents to know about.

I mentioned free patterns.  Each store had one knitting and one crochet pattern to give away.  For Yellow House it was this knitted sock and a crocheted baby sweater.  So cute!

Yellow House also has the coolest bathroom.  Very photogenic.  And I assure you, the only bathroom I took pictures of on this trip.  I’m not in the habit of taking photos of public restrooms.  Not usually anyway.

I’m very fond of the kitchen at YH (so much easier than typing “Yellow House” over and over).  It’s bright and airy and the yarns are displayed in fun ways.  Like the ones on the dish drying rack and in the salad bowl.  LOVE!

And like this:

And this:

SWEET!

 

See what friendly folks you’ll find at Yellow house?

And that concludes Phase One.  I walked away with the free pattern and purchased a second one.  More soon!

Transformation

Zion has not stopped reminding us that we promised her a new bed for Christmas.  Which is probably good because we needed someone to light a fire under us.  God blessed us with the (mostly) perfect weekend last weekend.  No commitments, my sister was able to take Gabe, Zion and Gideon for the weekend and we were able to get someone to come to the house to watch Elias on Saturday so we could work uninterrupted.

The plan: Transform “Zion’s Zoo” room into a new “Prince and Princess” room for her and Elias to share.  Assemble the top bunk of Gabe’s bed into a single bed for Zion, move the toddler bed to the boys’ room for Gideon and move the crib into the P&P room for Elias (getting him out of our room).

Zion and I got to work on Friday while Rob was at work.  We tidied, vacuumed and pulled down the old zoo decorations.  Zion was especially thrilled about this part since I let her do it, a task she has been getting in trouble for since I put the decorations up two years ago.  First when the went up and just recently again.  She said she was “helping” to get the room ready (AKA a major hint that she was sick of waiting for her new room).  Now she got to pull them down with my blessing.

We made the last minute plan for the kids to be with my sister while Gideon was napping.  When he woke up I told him he got to go to Tantie’s house.  He immediately went to the window by the front door and waited there.  Every time Zion walked by he’d put up his hand (Stop!  In the name of love…) and shout “No!  Go ‘way!  I looking at Tantie!”  I guess he wanted to be the one to get the first glimpse of his beloved Tantie Jamie.  She wasn’t due for four more hours.  Luckily we had to get dinner and had an errand to run so he was spared waiting there the whole time.

Saturday morning with children gone and Elias tended to downstairs we go to work washing, taping and covering furniture.  Finally we got to paint.  Rob put on the first stroke of pink over the old paint.  This was a very first painting experience for both of us (the house was painted in lots of colors before we bought it, most we liked the rest we could live with) so I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I started with Lively Tune Blue on the bottom of the Prince side.  It scared me at first, it seemed almost white when it went on.  As it dried though I took a relieved breath, it was actually the color we wanted.  Phew!

Rob got stuck painting above the molding, being taller than me (by all of two inches) and because I get terribly dizzy when I work with my arms over my head.  Wet paint and dizzy don’t mix well.

I know there are people out there who look great wearing painting clothes and with ponytails.  I am not one of them.  But I figured I should make sure there was a picture of me just to prove I did it.

Nearing the time when we can take the blue tape off – my favorite part!

The tape is off!  It’s really late though so no natural light so the colors aren’t exactly true.  Still, it’s getting there.

Sunday we spent dealing with the clean up and furniture.  We got the beds moved and set up and bedding on but ran out of time for much else.  We thought we’d be able to finish on Monday since Rob took a day off but I woke up sick Saturday (why the weekend was only “mostly” perfect) and then Elias got the crud too so between my feeling run down and Elias requiring more care we put it off.  So pictures of the final rooms will have to wait.  Oh, I almost forgot to mention, we found Mario Kart curtains for the boys’ room.  REAL curtains!  (I am guilty of doubling up sheets to hang over windows to block out light.  Not very nice to look at though.)

Gabe wasn’t expecting anything for him so it was really fun to surprise him, too.  And we didn’t tell Gideon that he’d be getting a new bed so it was surprises all around.  Yay!  I love surprises! 

Photos of the final rooms soon! 

Happy Birthday!

Seven years ago today Gabe was born.  But not until 11:55PM.  And after a three day induction.  I remember that it took a very long time for them to check him over after he finally emerged and a very long time for them to stitch me back together (and I did not have a c-section).  When they finally placed him wrapped in a blanket near my head I had two thoughts “Aw, I’m not pregnant anymore.” (no, really, I honestly thought that) and “Can I go to sleep now.”

With the exclusion of a daily afternoon screaming jag that lasted any where from 20 minutes to 3 hours he was what most people consider a “good baby”.  He ate well, he slept well and after he recovered from jaundice he was healthy.  He was also so very serious.  It was pretty hard to get much more than a grin out of him.  We knew from the start he was going to be a smarty.  He studied everything.  Everything.  So very closely.  There was never a single thing he put eyes on that he wasn’t immediately trying to figure out.

We were right in that regard.  He is super smart.  And sweet. And artistic and creative and it is much easier to make him laugh.

Yesterday we celebrated his birth with friends and family.  Rob and I already gave him his present from us but I managed to knit up a hat for him anyway.  I was so excited to give it to him I almost couldn’t sleep the night I finished.   I reminded myself of those Disney Land commercials.  “I’m too excited to sleep!” 

I made cupcakes instead of a cake this year.  Peanut butter cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.  We also had a “peanut butter sandwich bar” for the kids.  They got to choose from marshmallow fluff, Nutella, jam, honey and bananas – or a combo of those, to go on their peanut butter sandwich.  It was a big hit!

Jamie, Jamae and Jessa came and naturally the kids had to climb all over them for a time.  Zion and Gideon were laughing hysterically at the app on Jamae’s phone. 

Time for presents.  I’ve seen the uBuild Mousetrap game at two birthday parties in a row now.  Gabe and Zion played it after church today, looked like fun.

He got a paper airplane kit.  (I’m super excited about that one.  Perhaps I should take up origami.)

From my sister and family he got a flying saucer and Mario Kart swim trunks.

Now we just have to remember to get them signed back up for swim classes.

Finally he got to the hat.  He thought it was a penguin.  Drat! To my, and his, credit he didn’t immediately see the chain.  Rob sent him to the bathroom to look in the mirror.  Then he got excited and almost hasn’t taken it off since.  Score one for mama!  (That is a Chain Chomp, not a penguin.  A Chain Chomp is a character from the Mario games.)

Then the boys got to settle down and play Wii some.

 

Elias got dressed up by little Sarah.

And the kids got to fly the flying saucer.  Look at those faces!  They could be a magazine ad. 

Happy Birthday, Gabe!