FO: Drive Thru Sweater (aka Quicko Cheapo)

Pattern: Drive-Thru by Wendy Bernard

Yarn: KnitPicks Swish Superwash in Fired Brick, Truffle, Copper and Camel Heather

Size: A little smaller than 2

Recipient: my niece Penny, who will hopefully be able to wear this for two years. (modeled by Emily as it is in transit to Pen)



A quick and easy gift for any kid. The colorwork is so simple I don't know that you could even call it colorwork. I cast on 104 stitches to make it a bit smaller and then just did the math for the yoke.



One major modification was the omission of the fourth decrease section and the neck ribbing. I "finished" the neck 4 times before I got something that would fit over a child's head.

The yarn was delicious to work with although I bought way too much of the red. It's soft and squishy and I hope, hope, hope that it'll stand up to washing the way it says it will.

A little less my baby

A few weeks ago Alison went to the dentist for the first time. We received a glowing report which included her lack of cavities and the appearance of her first permanent molar. The dental hygenist also pointed out that Ali's bottom, front right tooth was a bit wiggly. And the new tooth was already coming in behind it.

The dentist took a look and said that as long as the wiggling progressed and food was not getting trapped between the two teeth, we were all set. Alison took to task wiggling that tooth every day and I asked each morning and after each meal if it was still in.

Last night after dinner Wayne asked the "look" at the tooth. I don't know how you were raised, but I remember what went down when my dad wanted to "look" at my loose teeth.

After a bit of screaming (which started way before any tooth touching) our baby is shy one tooth.



She's so big. I remember when she had no teeth and we excited when the first one broke the gums . . .

Knitting!

I spite of the bum rib I've been able to knit a bit.

I've completed a few more pattern repeats on my February Lady Sweater. It's coming along nicely and fits pretty well (photo taken a few days ago).





I'm also working on Wendy's Drive Thru for my niece, Penny. I've completed the body and started the arms last night. Or arm rather. I'm hoping that by the end of NYGK tomorrow night I'll have at least one arm finished.

Wednesday Morning I Decided to take a Shower

A seemingly harmless and uneventful thing to do really. Except that's not quite how it went.

I stepped into the shower, slipped and grabbed the shower curtain to steady myself. This proved to be a good idea and a bad idea. Had I not grabbed the curtain, I would have cracked my head on the tub wall and probably have been laying there until Alison woke up.

But I grabbed it and saved my head, to the detriment of my rib unfortunately.

I slammed into the tub wall with my rib cage and immediately knew I was dealing with a little more than a bruise. And, the shower curtain rod fell on my head.

I eventually managed to stand up. I rehung the curtain. And since I was already there and have been indoctrinated to believe that if it's broken you can't hurt it any more, I took a shower. A one-handed shower.

I carefully dressed myself and Yahoo! Answers'd broken ribs. The jist of the postings was basically that I should seek medical attention, but they probably would not be able to do anything for me.

I did and they weren't.

After poking, prodding and determining that it was in fact broken, the Dr. offered a $300 x-ray. I asked what we'd know with an x-ray and how that would affect our take home care ideas. She said it wouldn't actually tell us anything further, but we'd have a picture. I passed on the x-ray.

I've spent a few nights sleeping in the recliner, taken a lot of Tylenol, sworn off Darvocet (I still hurt and it put me to sleep) and tried very hard to take it easy.

Poor Wayne got the story via email almost 12 hours after it happened and managed to call from Nicaragua. I broke down and cried on the phone 'cause I was so glad I didn't have to be the tough one for a few minutes.

He's home now - hooray! I spent a lot of time resting yesterday because I hopped myself up on Tylenol and pretended everything felt fine to pick him up at the airport on Friday night. Turns out I got to pay for it all day on Saturday.

Tomorrow I promise some bona fide knitting content. Promise!

Vamos a Tampa

This past weekend the girls and I hopped on a train and headed to Tampa. We decided to take the train for several reasons.

1. The girls have never been on a train and liked the idea.
2. The travel time was only 1/2 an hour longer than driving.
3. All three of us could travel for just $36 round trip, that's like a 1/4 tank of gas in the gigantor SUV I drive and the trip would certainly take 1/2 a tank round trip.




The train was late so we ended up waiting an hour and half to leave. The girls decided to watch some Barbie as the Island Princess to pass the time.

While in Tampa we visited the Florida Aquarium and Lowry Park Zoo. We were hosted by my great friend Jany from college and had a great time.



1. Petting Stingrays, 2. Ali at the Big Tank, 3. Emily at the Big Tank, 4. Alison under the sea, 5. Ponies, 6. Popcorn is more interesting than giraffes, 7. Ali the bat, 8. Train ride home

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

Free Day at the Museum

In an effort to increase traffic and get kids into the Orlando Museum of Art, they offer free admission to local residents on Thursday afternoons. They also have an arts & crafts area, the Creative Station, where you pay a buck and get to make something related to a current display.

What's even better is that they have a real commitment to what would be considered children's art, especially in the summer. Last summer it was the art of H.A. Rey (Curious George), this summer William Joyce (Rolie Polie Olie, George Shrinks).



The exhibit was displayed in a large, open room. All of the drawings were hung at child eye-level and grouped by book. Each section had the book available for reading. In the center of the room, beanbag chairs, rocking chairs and more copies of the books were available.



One of the girls favorite pieces was a drawing by Joyce from when he was 5-years-old. It was framed and displayed the same way all the others were. Seeing that piece on display really amped Ali up for the Creative Station. She made a wonderful coloring/collage piece that depicts a well-decorated frog.

We're really good at following directions

I apologize for the tininess of the video - I think Emily adjusted the camera settings - and you may have to turn it up to hear the music, but trust me you want to hear it for the full comedic effect.

Things you should know: Aleve

Last night we attended a lovely dinner party at a friend's house. There were yummy things to eat, great conversations and lots of laughs (some involving Wayne and a trampoline). Toward the end of the evening, I started developing a little headache. I asked the hostess if she had some Tylenol and she said, no but that she did have some Aleve. I took the recommended dosage with the recommended glass of water, plus a few Wheat Thins.

We drove home, thanked my mom for watching the kids and settled in to watch Kill Bill Vol. 2. While checking my email I noticed my feet were itching, but also saw a big mosquito bite and figured that was it. A few minutes later my hands started to itch.

Is this sounding familiar??

I immediately told Wayne and we started tearing through the medicine drawer/cabinet/etc for some liquid Benadryl and the leftover meds from my shrimp fiasco. We turned up Benadryl tablets and I took two.

Wayne left to get some liquid Benadryl and I laid down and tried to stay calm I the hives spread everywhere. My tongue and lips started to swell, but not in a dangerous way. Wayne returned, I chugged some Benadryl and fell fast asleep.

I woke up groggy and swelly this morning. My hands and feet are still swollen, but the itching and hives have passed.

I wrote a quick email to our hostess asking if anything we'd eaten had been made with or near any shellfish. Nope. I eat Wheat Thins everyday, so I figured they were safe. So I googled Aleve allergies.

Wow! Is that a can of worms. Apparently Aleve allergies are totally common - but its just a brand name for Naproxen which I took after both pregnancies. I couldn't find anything substantial linking shellfish allergies to naproxen allergies, but at least now I know to stick with the Tylenol.

You've come a long way baby!

1. Emily: 0 Months, 2. Emily: 1 Month, 3. Emily: 2 Months, 4. Emily: 3 Months, 5. Emily: 4 Months, 6. Emily: 5 Months, 7. Emily: 6 Months, 8. Emily: 7 Months, 9. Emily: 8 Months, 10. Emily: 9 Months, 11. Emily: 10 Months, 12. Emily: 11 Months, 13. Emily: 12 Months, 14. Emily: 13 Months, 15. Emily: 14 Months, 16. Emily: 15 Months, 17. Emily: 16 months, 18. Emily: 17 Months, 19. Emily: 18 Months, 20. Emily: 19 Months, 21. Emily: 20 Months, 22. Emily: 21 Months, 23. Emily: 22 Months, 24. Emily: 23 Months



Happy 2nd Birthday Emily!!

good morning!

Emily's "big" gift was her new big-girl bed. She's been sleeping in it for nighttimes and naps since we returned from the beach. Since she's still pretty little, we went with the IKEA extendable bed and currently have it on its smallest setting.

She is a very different girl than Alison. When Ali was moved to her big-girl bed (because I broke her crib) she thought that it was the whole world and wouldn't get out of bed unless she was sent a gold-embossed invitation with pearl inlays. It was an expensive time.

Eventually she would play near the edge of the bed, but for months she would patiently wait for you smack dab in the middle of the bed.

When I put Em to bed on Monday, she waited about 30 seconds, then came to talk to me in the living room. Luckily, she can't open her bedroom door, so if we just leave it shut she gets the idea. From what I can tell, she's not getting up to play and has grasped the concept. We crack the door later when we know she's out cold.

Click on the photo, there are notes. :)

Hey Lady!

I've completed the raglan increases on my February Lady sweater, but something may be amiss.

I either increased too many times, or . . .

I can't count.

We'll find out tomorrow when I recount. :)

Home again, home again

We had an amazing weekend, full of smiles and it's own bits of calamity (I'll go into greater detail later). I missed my first day of June, just two days shy of the end of the month, but I think I had a great reason. :)

Outtie 5000

We're off to the beach. :)

Summer Recipe: Sangria

INGREDIENTS

• 2 (750 milliliter) bottles red wine
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced
• 2 sliced fresh peaches
• 1 bananas, peeled and sliced
• 1 cinnamon sticks, crushed
• 2 liters lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pitcher, combine red wine, sugar, apples, peaches, bananas and cinnamon sticks. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
2. When you're ready to serve, stir in the lemon-lime soda.

I'm making this weekend for Emily's birthday party cookout. I'll probably go a little lighter on the wine, but I simply adore sangria when it's hot and I'm at the beach. :)

Send My Husband to Nicaragua!!

Hello Internet friends! Hello balloon racers!!

I'd like your help sending my husband on a missions trip to Nicaragua. Here's a letter from him with a lot more details:

Hello friends!

On July 12th, I am leaving for Nicaragua with a short-term missions team from my church.

I'm going for a purpose.

I'm going to spread the love of God in a practical way.

What does that mean to me? I'll be using the skills I've developed as a builder and contractor to facilitate building a wall around the existing compound there. I'll be using the talents God has blessed me with to protect this place of His love. I'll be playing my guitar and praising God in a language these people don't understand, but the message of love will be clear.

Here's some more information about Nicaragua and the journey we're taking:

Nicaragua is the 2nd poorest nation in the western hemisphere, second only to Haiti. It is a country that has a great need for the love of Jesus and practical resources that literally have the chance to change lives.

This summer, Fusion Church will be joining Mike and Deborah Turner of LifeLink International to help take the message of the life and life-changing power to Managua, Nicaragua.

During our stay there, we will have the opportunity to minister and serve the people through medical clinics, evangelism, education and helping on a construction project. We will be ministering to children, youth and adults as we share the love of Christ in practical ways.

I hope you're still reading, because this is where you come in: I need your prayers and I need your financial support to make this trip a reality. To make it a blessing to the people of Ciudad Sandino, Nicaragua.

You can click here: http://www.fusionchurch.org/giving.html to make a donation online through Paypal. Simply put "Nicaragua - Wayne" in the comments box. Please make donations by Sunday, June 29th.

Thank you for your prayers and financial support. I can't wait to see what God's going to do.

In His unsurpassed love,

Wayne Tingle
wayne.tingle@gmail.com

I'm a Lady (Sweater)

The other day I spent hours being distracted by every bit of shiny, colorful bit of knitting I could find. I was searching for yarn replacements, checking the needle stash, checking the bank account, etc on project after project. My sock mojo was apparently destroyed by my hubris and I needed something new.



I finally settled on the Lady February Sweater (rav) (internets) by the ever-talented Flint Knits. And I had the yarn in my stash!! It's a top-down raglan, so each round is getting bigger, but it's only garter stitch so far. I'm hoping to get a lot done at NYGK tonight.

O, and I made buttonholes. Adorable, not wonky buttonholes.

And I finally bought a kacha-kacha row counter - no more tick-tallies for me!

Tardy Gratitude

A bajillion years ago, I won a contest about happying up the internet over at Alyson's blog. She was so kind to hand deliver the goodies to me at a Not Your Grandma's Knitting Group meeting. And then I never mentioned it. Sorry Alyson.

Here is what I won, in all it's infinite glory:



1 skein Blue Moon Fiber Arts, Socks that Rock in Atomic #6



1 skein of GORGEOUS HANDSPUN YARN!!! in Futurama colorway

Thanks Alyson!!

$5 a month

Or why I should sign up for Sprint Picture Mail*

Today, while I was driving to Party City to buy the second Dora pinata I've owned in my short life, I saw a guy driving while playing a harmonica.

That's right, a harmonica.

Wayne often plays his guitar while I'm driving, but this guy was all by himself, windows down, rocking out with the harmonica.

I was going to take a picture with my phone so that you'd believe me, but I don't have picture mail so I'd just have it stuck in my phone.

*Incidentally, I'm sure that if I did sign up for PictureMail, they'd somehow manage to get me signed up for another two years.

Summer of Socks

Summer of socks begins today!! Do you have a favorite sock pattern you think I should try??

New Hair!!

After almost five hours at the Paul Mitchell School today, I've got some great, new hair. Really it's my hair, but a new look. I'm quite pleased. :)



It's a bit blonder overall than I had envisioned, but it's summer and summer is the best time to go blonde.