Keeping it Quick and Random (please don't forget about me!)

Hi!  It's been a while!  It's not that I've been taking a break from blogging, it's just that I haven't been doing it so much lately.  So.... I guess that's a break?  Well, it's not an official "I'm taking a blogging break and I will announce it to the world in this blog post" break, but more of a "I have a lot of responsibilities that have been neglected lately  because I'm at the computer too much."  And I also started to notice this unfortunate trend - if I'm blogging during the kids' afternoon rest time and I'm not done by the time they get up, I'm snippy and irritated for the rest of the afternoon.  And who wants that??  And I also noticed that if I blog less, I get to read and crochet more... but not at the same time (I think that must be what Heaven is like - reading and crocheting at the same time.)  

Anyway... I'm just here for a few quick quips, mutterings, and musings so that you don't forget about me!

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Clare has started calling James "Lil BooBoo." 

Where did that come from????

That's the absolute last nickname I would ever give a child of mine.

But that's what she calls him.  It started out as a high pitched cutesy thing: she'd scrunch up her face and stick it into his face and say, "Hi there Lil BooBoo!  Hi there!" while mauling hugging him.  But now, it's just a normal part of her life and conversation.  She'll come into a room and very matter of factly address me in a perfectly normal tone of voice like there's nothing bizarre about what she's saying at all: "Mom, is Lil BooBoo still in bed?"  No cutesy, high pitched voice.  Just a brother who is now referred to by one of the most ridiculous nicknames ever.

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Lent.

It's going.  It's half way over.  

It was one of my goals this year to have the kids and I make our new Stations of the Cross before Lent started.  Sadly, that didn't happen.  I bought frames, and hopefully they'll be up this weekend so that we can squeeze in a few family Stations during the season.

Other Lenten things are going well.  The kids gave up chocolate chips in their trail mix (usually a bi-weekly morning snack) and the whole family gave up boxed cereal.  Even though we don't eat that much boxed cereal to begin with, it's really been a sacrifice for some of the kids (especially when they witness James obliviously consuming his Cheerios, because he's exempt :) )  It's been hard on Russ who would live off of raisin bran if I let him, and it's been a little tricky on me because I've had to be on top of the bulk oatmeal buying, granola making, and remembering to get an occasional pan of baked oatmeal in the oven.  But I think Easter week will be especially fun and tasty for the kids - Russ and I decided to celebrate Easter with extra special cereal the kids love, like Puffins and Kix!!!

Nothing says "He is Risen!" like overpriced packaged breakfast grains :)

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Binge watching Gran Hotel on Netflix has made me appreciate the efficacy of foreign language immersion programs.  I'm only a few episodes into Season 2 and I don't think it's beyond the realm of possibility to think that I might burst out in Spanish at any given moment.  It's in my head and I can't get it out... eventually it will all come spilling out of my mouth and I will have officially learned another language via a media program that was not Rosetta Stone.  Granted, I may only be able to say things like, "The clean linens have been pressed and stacked," and "I'll take my tea in bed this afternoon," and "I know you don't love him," and "I just have to find one more clue and then I promise I'll go," and "it was the butler in the dining room with the candlestick" but you can't be too picky with these free language programs, you know ;)

I have so much more to say about Gran Hotel, but I'll spare you... for now...!

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My birthday was last week!  On days when I can remember it (or there's a calculator nearby) I'm 36!

We had lots of lovely family time to celebrate.  Russ offered to make a cake for me (as he has done a few other times) but when I mentioned that I wanted something very decadent involving chocolate and hazelnut, he wisely admitted I should probably make my own cake.  I followed this recipe to a T and ended up with a delicious dessert - every bit as decadent and chocolate-y and hazelnut-y as I had hoped for :)

Pinterest came through for me again.

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The snow is melting!  The warm weather and daylight savings time have given the kids the opportunity to play outside after dinner this past week!  That makes it feel like summer practically!

One evening they built a pretty cool sled run down our back deck...

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Not much else to write about, other than to assure you (and myself!) that I haven't given up here.  I'm just using this little down time on the blog to read to my kids, pray, do dishes, maybe start to make some Easter decorations, clean out my craft/sewing room, work on a few big crochet projects, and bake chocolate cakes from scratch :)
When I'm ready for some down time from all that, I'll be back to blogging!

Happiness. Lately. February 2015 (vol 9)

Happiness.  Lately.  February.  My monthly collection of "Happiness" - appreciating God's goodness in the little things and seeing his grandeur in the simplicity of my life and "Lately" - what I've been into and up to...  (wherein I reveal that much of February revolved around equal parts snow and James.)

Happiness is...

this face.  I just want to squeeze him and eat him up!!!

the things I find around the house that make me smile and say, "let me get my camera!"

lavender hot chocolate.  Ohhhhhh, this was such. a. treat.   It was rich, decadent, aromatic, and delicious... everything a gourmet hot cocoa ought to be.  And I made it myself!  

clean up time with a handmade dish cloth ;)

big brothers, little brothers...

days that are above ten degrees and Dad's snow blowed a path and Mom lets us get our bikes out??  I guess.

Ruthie was a little teary eyed because she kept falling :(

colored pencils.  And pictures of colored pencils.  I love colored pencils.

when all the neighborhood is out in the mornings.  Snow storms build camaraderie. 

a pretty cookie-making picture...

and happiness definitely is when the kids actually let me get a nice picture of them!!

Lately...


James is weaned.

and James is walking.  Yep.

And because this is my blog and he is the cutest ever and I can do whatever I want, here are even more pictures of Sweet Baby James.  Sorry. 

Dominic made his First Confession!  It truly was an answer to prayer that he was able to receive the Sacrament when he did.  We were hesitant to have him receive the Sacrament amidst all the other kids in the parish religious ed class.  We were given permission to come on the first Saturday of Lent at our parish's regular Confession time - Dominic made his first Confession with our pastor, and then Russ, Aaron and I were able to go also to kick off Lent (so to speak...)  It was just what we had prayed for. 

You can see how laden down with sin Dominic was on the way into church ; Or was that just the cold and snow?  Well, either way, he came out squeaky clean!  And then we had ice cream sundaes that night to celebrate!

We celebrated Ruth's fifth birthday!  She said she wanted a cake that was "the part of the meadow where the grass stops and the wild flowers start and it all blends into the sky. " Not like she has a flair for the dramatic or anything...

I have very limited cake decorating skills, but I think I did ok :)

Aaron built a Lego model of a cargo ship from Ancient Egypt for a special event at the study center the boys attend.  Then he had to carry it through a snow storm to the car to get it there...   February.  ugh.

We took a week off of school lessons for Winter Break.  Instead of regular old math, spelling, reading, we did chalk pastels with Nana from HodgePodge, cozy reading, playing, and art (which has been a popular thing around here lately since Ruth got some sketch pads and art supplies for her Birthday.)  We also read about the American Revolution because to me, that's fun!  It felt so awesome to take a break, but it's been hard getting back into the old routine :(

And I've still been crocheting.  It's been a nice change of pace though, as I've finished up several smaller projects and have gotten back to work on blankets for the boys I started last Spring.  I work on one for a little bit then switch to the other.  Working on a long term project gets boring for me if I don't break it up a little.  I'm not sure what happened with my measurements though...  I thought they were the same width, but it looks like Dominic's blanket (the blue/green and cream) is much wider.  Maybe that will become the length?  Not sure yet...

Also, in other over-the-top awesome crocheting news.......  I taught my sister how to crochet!!!!!!!!!!   And she loves it!  It's like all my dreams are coming true - I have someone who's similarly addicted, texts me throughout the days with her progress and latest projects, and gets it when I bemoan the fact that regular daily responsibilities really interfere with the time I'd rather be crocheting.  Housework is so inconvenient when there's yarn fun to be had!   Anyway, I've got a new Instagram hashtag if you want to stay on top of what Sarah and I are making and want to keep us posted on what you're hooking - hang out with us #dontmindmeimcrocheting :)

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Join me in looking back on February and sharing the little tings that were your happiness and some of the things that have been happening lately.

Link up your Happiness. Lately. posts for February here!  (open for a week!)

An InLinkz Link-up

The Snow on Snow Chunky Crochet Button-Up Cowl

Today was the first day in ten days that we haven't had additional snow accumulation.  I actually like snow, but new snowfall every day for nine days gets a little tiresome.  All throughout the past week the poem (and Christmas carol) In the Bleak Midwinter, by Christina Rossetti, kept running through my mind, particularly the first verse...

In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter
Long ago.

While my husband and sons were out repeatedly shoveling and snow blowing, I was working out this quick and simple pattern.  It was fitting that I called this project the Snow on Snow Cowl :)

Um... awkward.  I will never be comfortable taking pictures of myself.  How come everyone else on the interwebs can do it??  I ended up taking a whole bunch of pictures in front of a mirror and picking the least awful after having asked one of my children to do it and ending up with a lot of blurry pictures of my chest.   Have any tips on taking not-awkward selfies or other appropriate pictures to show off your crochet creations without buying a plastic head from a craft store??  Send em my way :)  

For this project, you'll need:

1 1/2 skeins Lion Brand Yarn Wool-Ease Thick and Quick yarn.  (I used "Glacier")
10 mm crochet hook
tapestry needle for weaving in the ends
two large buttons
needle and thread 

I wanted my cowl to have some texture to it, but I didn't want it to have gaps in between the stitches.  I wanted it to be seriously warm for wearing under my coat out in all this snow.  After trying several ideas, I decided to just use the same stitch that I used for my cotton dishcloths, so perhaps that's why it looks familiar :)  

Pattern:

Row 1.  loosely chain 17 (or 15 if you want the cowl to be shorter.)

Row 2. Turn. 1 half double crochet (hdc) in second chain from the hook, 1 slip stitch (ss) in next chain.  *1 hdc, 1 ss* until the end. 

Row 3 - 50?  Turn, chain 1.  *1 hdc, 1 ss* to the end.  (note: every row will start on a half double crochet and end with a slip stitch.)   (Mine was 50 rows long, you may add or subtract rows to achieve the length you want.)

Continue until the cowl is long enough to fit around your neck with approximately two inches of overlap.  

Once you have reached the desired length, chain one and begin to single crochet around the edge of the entire piece, using three single crochets at each corner.  

Slip stitch into to the starting chain one.  Finish off and weave in the ends.  

Sew two large buttons on the two corners of one end.  Use the natural holes in the crocheted piece to button the cowl closed.  

You're done!  Stay warm :)

all kinds of awkward...

... but at least I'm toasty warm :)

The Expectation of Meteorological Changes to Come (and some camera talk)

The kids made the most of what was quite possibly the last snow of the season.  But... you really never know for sure...

You don't hear me complain about weather too much (besides the occasional grumbling brought on by oppressive humidity and outbursts of rage brought on by excessive mud.) I love living in an area where we have the privilege of experiencing all the seasons fully.  When it's winter here, it's really winter.  But without a serious winter, I suspect that we wouldn't appreciate spring as much.  Early spring finds us giddy with excitement - temperatures above 35???  Heat wave!!  Sunny, coolish warmish days,  tulip buds showing themselves, the first crocuses, the geese coming back, the local maple syrup flowing!  Blessed spring!  And just when you think you cannot stand one more spring rain, or the mud, or the never knowing if you'll need boots or sneakers, heavy coats or light jackets... The seasons change again.  Open windows, planting gardens, sunny afternoons in the sprinkler, popsicles, beach days, flipflops, splashing in the creek!  Splendid summer!  And... just when you think you cannot possibly take the humidity, or one more mosquito bite, or the bees overtaking your picnics, or the sticky mess of popsicles, or the sand in your living room rug... it's fall!!  Apples, and pumpkins, cinnamon sticks and kitchen spice candles, hot cider, cozy sweaters, gorgeous colors, and crunchy leaves, crisp air, stacking the firewood, lots and lots of baking, and  the Fall Soup Party!  Glorious autumn!  And then it drags on, and just when you can't bear the thought of lifting another rake, or mushy leaves gathering on the floor of the van, brown grass, and bare trees against gray skies... another welcome change!  The first soft snow, the excitement of the first plows on the roads, new mittens, sledding, snowmen, snowball fights and forts, seeing your breath in the air, cozy nights in front of the fire, hot chocolate, Christmas lights!  Glistening winter!  And though it seems it will never end, just when you think you've reached your breaking point and you can't possibly stand another frigid day, or shoveling the driveway, or storms and slush and ice... 

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And here is my one random picture from the maple sugar house we visited last weekend.  Please cover your ears because I'm going to scream here - AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!  Ok.  My camera and/or batteries choose the worst times to go all tech-trippy on me.  I keep thinking about getting a new camera - a big girl dSLR camera - but then I get scared off by the price and by the thought of approaching my husband with the request and the price, and so I resign myself to using my current camera until it malfunctions AGAIN and I realize a camera can only be dropped on the floor so many times before it says, "I'm outta here."  Sooo - please give me some camera advice, like what should I get and how should I keep it away from the children who invented the drop-the-camera-on-the-floor game.  (Coincidentally, these children happen to be the same ones that live in my house...)

How We Weathered the Storm (mostly photos)

This blizzard?  Not so bad.  The last two days saw minimal snow but lots of way below zero temperatures, insane winds, and ice on the inside of our window panes.  Last night the snow hit us and Russ had the snow blower out before he left for work this  morning.  Now, at mid-morning, you can hardly tell he did all that work.  But we're good. In fact, we're better than good.  We've really been making the most the cold and snow... 

Remember all that white chocolate I ruined trying to make New Year's Eve candy?  Well, I saved it, that I did, and yesterday we turned it into snow cocoa:  7 cups milk, 12 ounces white chocolate, 1 tsp. vanilla, and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg.  Served with a candy cane and whipped cream, of course!  

An even better treat than the cocoa was that Russ got out of work an hour early - we were all very excited...

cozy socks and crocheting by the fireside - pretty much a perfect evening!

This morning after school lessons we made snow ice cream!  Check out this post from last year for the "recipe."

And I finally let the boys go out today... once it hit 12 degrees... 

Ruth painted while the boys were out...

Clare caring for her dry skin chin!  (could she be another chapstick addict like her mom?)

The kids got crazy in the basement (I don't photograph that behavior!)  and the rest of the time we just sat around and played...

Today ended with a very popular dinner - sausage and spinach egg scrambler and baked oatmeal with blueberry topping.  It's always breakfast-for-dinner on special days around here!

AND... just in case you've fallen for the illusion that everything here is snow-shine and roses and all we do is love the snow and being cooped up inside together, I will briefly mention that storm stir-craziness also got us - I lost my temper, everyone was in time out at one point or another (or was writing things like, "it is wrong to hit my sister" 10 - or 20 - times.), and the kids may have watched a few episodes of Feeding Time on Netflix.  Also - this pile of stuff is ever-present in our living room, but was tastefully avoided in all photos of fabulous family fun  :)  

It's real life here, people, I'm just trying to post the best parts of it!  

Happy snow days!