It's The Great Pumpkin

Sunday evening, after a very busy weekend, the kids sat down with their wonderful Daddy to carve pumpkins.  Cameron had spent part of the day drawing pumpkin faces and when it was all said and done he chose this one to carve.

I think the actual pumpkin is a spitting image!  (the one on the left, but I shouldn't have to tell you that!)  Cameron actually held the drawing and told Damien what to carve and where.  We don't let the kids use sharp knives, and Cameron was actually really proud to be the supervisor!

Olivia?  Well, she just asked Daddy to carve a scary face!  I'm pretty sure she growled when she said it.



Then the pumpkins were lit and a collective, "Ooooh!"

Then the pumpkins and kiddos headed outside for a photo.  My children love to look at the photos after we take them.  Damien took one photo with the flash and another without.  The kids were amazed that they disappeared!

So, of course, he had to do it again!

 

It's almost Halloween!  Woo hoo!

Sold Out

See that blank white space to the right?  That's my Etsy shop.  It's all sold out!  I'm so happy, happy, happy.  Now I have some knitting and sewing to do!  I am going to add some more leg warmers and hats by next weekend, so stay tuned my friends.  And thank you to everyone who made a purchase!

Matt's Wild Cherry

This spring I bought a couple of Matt's Wild Cherry tomato seedlings from a local organic farmer, and I sure am glad that I did. They are growing quite nicely in my sad little garden. Cameron, Olivia, and I collected a small harvest this afternoon to put in this evenings dinner: a spinach and pasta alfredo that I made without a recipe, and I'm pretty proud of myself because it was delicious!


OK, so this photo doesn't really do it justice, but it really was yummy! And the best part is that Cameron and Olivia gobbled all the tomatoes right out of it. If we grow it, they will eat it!


Isn't she cute?

A Bonnet for my Baby

I made this bonnet yesterday. When I ordered the pattern I was so excited to make this that I checked the mail four times a day, even though I know exactly what time the mail carrier comes! Then, on Wednesday it finally came and I was so excited! I put it next to my sewing machine and... there it sat for four days, untouched. I was so busy that I could not find a spare moment to create anything, never mind this adorable little hat. Monday finally came. My scheduled "Craft Day" with my friend Michelle. The perfect day to make this hat! And make it I did. In about an hour. I really thought it would take longer, but it was super fast! And my darling little girl just LOVES it!

She's telling me to "Stop taking pictures."

But later she obliged and let me take this cute one!

Name Help

My plan is to debut a new craft blog. This blog will be public so that I can share my craft projects with fellow craft bloggers and anyone else who is interested. The blog will be mostly about me and my knitting, sewing, stamping and all things crafty, but I'm having trouble coming up with a name. I have posted a poll to the right with a few of the names I have come up with. Please vote and/or offer a suggestion for a name for my new blog.

This name will also be the name of my *coming this summer* Etsy shop where I will finally start selling my creations. Thanks all for your encouragement and support in my new endeavor!

My Little Monsters

I made these little monsters for my little monsters on Sunday night. They absolutely adore them! And I love that they adore them!

Going to New Jersey

Not me. These are going to New Jersey today...



A friend of mine from college had twins two weeks ago (well, his wife did anyway). A boy and a girl. I hope he sends me a photo so I can post it because I'm sure it will be squeal-worthy. They are teeny-tiny and just so darn cute! Their Mommy is my hero as she is tandem breastfeeding in the middle of the night. You go girl!

I wish I had learned to knit before my babies were born because knitting for newborns is so much fun! Maybe I should have another...hmmmmmmm.

Baskets, Bunnies and Bags

I have been keeping myself pretty busy in the crafting department this past weekend into this week. It started on Saturday when I bought the material to make little Easter baskets for the kids. I was to cut and prepare the fabric for my craft day with my friend Michelle on Sunday, but I couldn't stop at cutting and ended up making both baskets that night. The tutorial is from one of my favorite crafty websites, Pink Penguin.

Baskets and Bunnies

On Sunday I created the Purl Rabbit. The pattern is free from The Purl Bee, as well as the patterns for the clothes. The rabbit took me most of that day and into the wee hours of the morning. Michelle and I did do a lot of chatting and snacking and took a road trip to Lebanon, NH for more fabric. It was a wonderful craft day and I'm looking forward to the next one.

Monk's Bag

Between Monday and today I decided to finally make the bags I have been coveting for some time. The Monk's Bag is a free tutorial from The Purl Bee also. I think the Purl Bee is my favorite website! I absolutely love this bag. I love the fabric, the wide strap, and the cute little polka dot pocket on the inside for my wallet and keys. I also love that I finally made something for myself!

Grocery Bag

Then I made a grocery bag. I have been pretty good about bringing our reusable grocery bags to the grocery store whenever I go. In fact, so good that I'm almost completely out of plastic trash bags to put Benji's dirty diapers in! What I'm not so thoughtful about is taking a bag when I walk to downtown, or for that quick little run to JoAnn's. Plus, the reusable bags we have are just not cute! I made this bag to fold up and put inside my Monk's Bag to have with me everywhere I go, so I never have to use those nasty plastic bags again. I didn't use a tutorial for this, but it is made in the same way as the little Easter baskets, so thank you again Pink Penguin!

So, that's what I have been up to for the past few days during naptime and after the kids go to bed. The rest of the time is spent playing, snuggling and cleaning up after everyone!

Beret and Leg Warmies

Olivia is sporting her new beret and legwarmies. We walked to the Lynch house today and my kids both got all dolled up. They also love holding hands with each other instead of Mommy or Daddy!

Legwarmies

Olivia absolutely loves her legwarmies! The first pair got left at the mall this weekend so between yesterday and today I made her a new pair. I am starting a matching beret this evening. I think Legwarmies are my favorite thing to knit. Olivia saw them on the needles today and said, "Oooh, legwarmies. For me?" Then she sat and watched me knit for a while. When they came off the needles she jumped for joy and did a jig!

Finally!

My Mom's scarf is complete. Olivia models it here:

Pretty Potholder

I still had a bunch of fabric leftover from the curtains and cushions, so I decided to make some more things for the kitchen. I made four potholders using all leftover fabric and old receiving blankets as the batting. Next up is a placemat for the center island.

Ta Da!

From this:

To this:


I just love my new stools. Using mostly fabric and paint leftover from other projects, the transformation was truly an exercise in frugality. The total cost of each stool works out to be $6.48, to include the price of the stool, the orange paint, a paint brush and the flower fabric.


Damien said I should sell them for $30 each. But, that really is not the point. I just love these so much!

My Curtains

Here they are! My kitchen curtains. I just love the fabric and how it matches perfectly with my bright blue walls. Making my own curtains is so satisfying. I can never find the perfect curtain in the store, but I can always find the perfect fabric. Our kitchen renovation may be slow, but slow and steady wins the race! Next up, refinishing the cabinets and the floor and after that, new counter tops! Woo hoo!

Busy Me

Ah, vacation. It just so happens that my winter break fell on the same week as Damien's "Kelly Week" at the Fire Department (5 days off) and annual week off from the Post Office. So we took a family trip to NY to see Jennifer and Evelyn while Nate was away at military training. On the way there I knitted. Knitting has evolved into a peaceful, leisurely activity for me. I am knitting for the pure pleasure of creation and the end result of seeing my children in their handmade knits!

I call this my "Six Day Sweater" because it only took me 6 days from start to finish! It is knit using yarn from a local NH farm and Knitting Pure and Simple Tunic 232.


Then I knit the Ann Norling fruit hat using super soft merino wool. The hat only took me about 4 hours of total knitting time, so I made two. One for Olivia and one for Maria whose Mommy gave me the yarn (thank you).


After Cameron took the sweater off Olivia wanted to put it on. She wore it for a couple of hours this morning with her eggplant hat. She was so warm, and kind enough to model for me!


I forgot my camera for our trip to NY. Hopefully Jennifer will send me some so I can post them. We had a blast! The kids really enjoyed playing and I taught Jennifer and Lisa how to knit.

Coming Soon to a Mailbox Near You

Under-the-Sea Playroom

Cameron loves the movie "Finding Nemo", so this playroom was inspired by the movie. The toy box was hand painted by me, and I even sewed all the curtains. I had so much fun making this room, and Cameron loves playing in it!