Massive PFMP Dump

I haven't done one of these in FOREVER. Enjoy the randomness. Also, these pictures are from as far back as September. Yikes!

I am married to one extremely attractive man. He's also really funny. And an amazing father. And a wonderful provider. Blessed, blessed, blessed.

Anna got beaned in the face with a hula hoop during PE at school. Months later and she still has a slight scar from it. 

 The face that only every person who has ever met her could love.

 Egads, I miss these sweet moments already. She will only nap in bed now.

 Ever wonder what my spinning wheel looks like?

 Boys sure do make things interesting.

 A teeny tiny pair of mittens for the Christmas Tree.

 A close up of the weapons/accoutrements we made for the kids' Halloween costumes.

 Ha! Good Story that demonstrates the kind of person I really am. Miles has to be picked up between 3:15 and 3:30, but often there is a long car line that prohibits getting through said line anytime before 3:35. On one particular day, I lost track of time and was late. I admit it. I showed up at the school at 3:38. They had already removed him from the pickup line (even though there were still other parents in line to pick up their kids) and taken him into a classroom to wait for me. I received a note from the teacher that stated I would have to pay $8 ($1/minute) the very next day before he would be allowed back at class. So, I did. I paid it in pennies, nickels and dimes. Reminiscent of the scene in Confessions of a Shopaholic where she pays the collections guy with pennies "giving him exactly what he asked for, but in the most inconvenient way possible."
He he.... I'm a jerk!

 We went to dinner at the Macaroni Grill. We tip well. I figure we're paying extra for cleaning up the many spilled cups and food on the floor. Go us.

 This is how we spent our Thanksgiving Day. Fishing at a local pond/lake. We caught a turtle. Thus ended our fishing.

 These are mittens that I made for my mother for Christmas. And then sent them off to her before I remembered to take a proper picture. They were fabulous and I'm JUST now seeing an error... CURSES.

 When I was growing up, we made these Candy Trains every year. This year I hosted a candy train making party for a bunch of girlfriends. It was all around good times.

 I grew these turnips in my garden. I feel like a superhero. Recently, I planted our summer garden... Zucchini, Green Beans, Tomatoes, Cilantro, and Basil. My mouth is already watering.

Lucas loves trains. ALOT. We set up a huge track at least a couple of times/week. It will keep him fairly well occupied for an hour or so. 

Lucas sleeping = Mom wins.

 Anna just prior to her endoscopy. She loved the loopy drugs they gave her so much that she asked for them several more times in the next couple of days. I was getting worried.

 Again, behold. I make carrots.

Anna made this fancy robot for school. She demanded I post a picture of it to Facebook. I did as she commanded. Never disobey. Never.

 My parents sent this Dr. Seussian Parrot for Libby for Christmas, along with the coordinating book Oh Say Can You Say. Libby has staked her claim. It is her very favorite thing ever. She likes to suck on it while she falls asleep. This makes it stink. Badly. "The Green Guy" as he's known around these parts, has to be washed at least every week.

So, I knit Matt his sweater vest. I couldn't love it more. It turned out exactly as I had envisioned, which almost never happens. Maybe I'll post some better pictures of it... that is, if I can convince Matt to put it back on in the 80+ degree weather we've got.

So, really, Spring Break wrap up tomorrow.

Pardon Me

Last week was Spring Break. You don't really appreciate the public school system until you suddenly regain the children you are missing during the day.

We ran them ragged. My husband even took several days off work to play with us. I'll be back tomorrow to tell you all about it.

As it is, I'm still recovering.

Everyday

 I have been dragging out the camera less and less often. It's really quite sad.
I'm not even sure what prompted me to bring it along on this very normal trip to the park. But I did.... and I'm so glad.

After all, who doesn't need pictures of their baby looking exceedingly devilish?

Or their 9 year old looking nearly teenaged?

Or to capture your 7 year old in a flight of fancy?

Or your 5 year old trying to melt you with his mind powers?

Or your nearly 3 year old acting somewhat behaved?
Well, who wouldn't want that?

Footage.

Just a quick catchup post... Libby had a birthday nearly a month ago now. We gave her a cupcake.

She did not fail to entertain.

We even took a video of the whole thing. It's pretty long, but the first minute and the last minute are fun to watch... we are video editing dunces.


The best part is that this is what she looks like after almost every meal.

Too Kind.

Recently I received a mysterious package in the mail when I was not expecting a package at all... aren't those the best kind?

Inside it, was a gorgeous quilt.

(Please excuse my hair... it's bigger than I can manage typically).
The quilt came from my dear Aunt Jacques. She is my mother's sister. Apparently, she reads this little blog and has a fondness for listening to me ramble on about whatever it is I feel like that day. Ridiculous!

I feel like the luckiest girl alive. And I'm not quite sure how to say thank you for such a generous gift.

I just love it so much!

Some FOs.

As in finished objects.
You see, I knit and knit and knit... and then never photograph anything. I'm super awesome that way. So, then I pull out all the items I've completed in the last uh... 2 months and photograph them all at the same time and then you receive this veritable dumping of knitted objects.

So where were we?

 I knit four pair of kids' mittens this "winter". Did I knit myself a pair? Uh.... no? I have a pair picked out, but it can wait till the temperature drops below 70 degrees again... in December.

 Remember that I own a spinning wheel? I do. I spun the yarn I used for this hat back in September. I knit the hat in December. It was one of Abbie's Christmas presents. But we don't often have occasion for hats. I used the Purl Beret pattern from PurlSoho and it turned out so, so cute.

 Abbie quite likes it, and so do I. It was my first foray into knitting with my handspun and it was quite the adventure.

Speaking of handspun...

 94 yards of bulky 100% Peruvian Highland Wool. I actually dyed this myself. Yes, I'm attempting all aspects of this fiber craze.

 The above yarn was spun in September/October. I have no idea why I haven't yet posted it here because I think it's just beautiful. I didn't dye this one. It came from the WoolPig Crafts Etsy shop. It is now 235 yards of Superwash Blue Faced Leicester in a DK weightish...?

 And the final installment in the spinning category is this lovely Merino Silk blend from Ashland Bay.  It's 372 yards of a 2ply laceweight. It took me absolutely forever to spin. Just ask my mother... I was spinning this before Christmas. I finally finished it last week and you'll be seeing it knit up into something soon... I think.

 Then I knit this lovely, WARM, chunky cowl.  It was my first chance getting to use Berroco Vintage Chunky and I was skeptical because it has a rather high acrylic content, but it was just lovely.

I also got to knit this lovely piece. I absolutely love it and it's sooo soft. Pattern is here and yarn is Misti Alpaca Lace.

Here's another pattern I started and finished FOREVER ago... it's called Opus Spicatum. It is knit out of Swish Worsted which I must say I really love.  I just wanted to add that it was about 82 degrees the day I took all these pictures and I was sweating mighty fiercely. Gross.

And lastly, not a finished object.  A WIP (work in progress.) Matt's Memory Vest. Knit out of Cascade 220 Superwash. The back is finished, the front is about 1/3 done. And now I'm off to go work on it whilst I watch me some Netflix.

Thanks for reading!

Wordless Wednesday - Verve