The Day After

Christmas has come and gone for another year....and it was a pretty good one.  For one thing, it's got to be one of the warmest Christmases on record!  It felt weird but I'm not complaining for sure.   We were festive, we were prepared, and we had fun.  For once I had all of the wrapping done in plenty of time, and I was only sewing buttons and weaving in ends on TWO projects during the day on Christmas Eve.  Considering other years, that's pretty good.  Brian and I hosted this year, and all was well.  Dinner went off with only a slight hiccup and dessert was really lovely.  The house isn't even as trashed as it usually is the day after Christmas.  No gift returns this year, and the best surprise was Alton Brown tickets for Brian.  All FOUR of us are going to see his show in April.  It was a great family secret and I'm particularly proud of the boys for keeping it.

Today has been kind of a lazy day, and I feel really comfortable and happy.  We've let the boys run around and do whatever they like today.  That equals a huge blanket fort in their bedroom, breaking open geodes from the kit that was sent by Uncle Matt and Aunt Katie, eating copious amounts of treats and right now, building a robot from the kit that Will received from us for Christmas.  I spent part of it in new pajamas, reading "The Kids are All Right:  A Memoir" by Liz Welch and Diana Welch.  (It's a true story, and pretty riveting.  I had trouble putting it down.)  Later on I braved shopping and even that wasn't too terrible.  For the first time in 15 years, all of the wrapping paper and boxes/tissue paper have been purged and organized, and will be going back to the garage in better shape than they came upstairs.

Now tonight is a dinner of leftover pasta and meat sauce, and the movie Inside Out.  I'm loving this winter vacation.

A Big Mashup Holiday Post

Yep.  I haven't posted once in December so let me sum up.

1.  I have a love-hate relationship with the month of December.  I love the holidays, but I hate the chaos.  Plus it's difficult to keep any sort of routine, so the kids suffer a bit.  This is Sean's first year having Christmas at school (they didn't celebrate holidays at his preschool) so the crazies are strong there.  Lots of frustration, stomping of feet, slamming of doors and remarks like "this is the worst Tuesday of my life" and my personal favorite:  "It's not even time to go to the bus yet and I. Already. Have. A. Frown. on. my. FACE!!!"  It was tough not to laugh, let me tell you.  Lots of extra snuggles and patience.  I'm great at the snuggles, but patience is not a strong suit for me.

2.  Have I mentioned that I am the BIGGEST HYPOCRITE EVER??  Yes, I am.  Sean was so sad that there's no Elf on the Shelf at his house that I caved and bought one last week at the mall.  Will's been so sweet to his younger brother, helping him name the Elf (Chippy) and coming up with ideas.  So we have an Elf, but I said that Chippy is a trainee, having shown up the week before Christmas.  Brian and I don't believe in the whole "The elf is reporting back to Santa" thing so it's just a fun thing in our house.  As soon as the kids go to bed at night one of us moves him. Brian watched me set up a Connect Four game between Chippy and Will's favorite Pokemon, Oshawott last night.  He remarked that I seemed to be enjoying it, and honestly, I was.  I love whimsical things.  I also will NOT be putting up a daily photo on Facebook about what Chippy's up to.  If Chippy wants to be on FB he can get his own account.

3.  You saw that Will is helping with Chippy, huh....  Well, Will pulled me aside at Thanksgiving and said "I have a suspicion that Santa Claus is really you and Dad.  I really need you to tell me that's not true."  I can't lie, it breaks my heart a little bit that he no longer believes.  But now he's excited about the magic of it and is encouraging his brother's belief in Santa instead of telling him.  It's sweet to watch.

4.  We had two Holiday concerts this year, Will's was last week at night at the high school and Sean's was this morning.  Both boys were adorable!  Now we have karate graduation tonight and I think that's all the obligations.  Wait no.....both boys have holiday parties in class tomorrow and I need to buy donut holes for one of them, I just can't remember which kid.  Hopefully I figure that out by tomorrow morning!

5.  Two things that have gone WELL this year....the holiday knitting is DONE and I won't be spending all day Christmas Eve wrapping gifts for my extended family.  However, I need to learn my lesson and weave in ends and block finished items sooner.  And next year, I think that I'm going to do the same item for all knit gift recipients, like an infinity scarf for everyone.

Well, that's pretty much all that is going in our world.  Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night!!

The Holiday Post.

December is always a busy time but this year it went full-tilt.  There were a few unpleasantries, but that's the way life is sometimes.  There was also my birthday, and then Christmas and ho look at that....New year's is almost here already!

In their natural order, let's talk about my bday first.  It was a pretty good day with some dark overtones.  We had just found out that my father-in-law was in the hospital and would be having heart surgery, which was originally scheduled for my birthday.  It was postponed to the following Monday and went very well.  In fact, as I write this he's been home in PA for a few days and is getting stronger every day!   Despite Brian's state of mind he still gave me a really great birthday!  I got a pedicure at a new place which will be a favorite from now on, we got to enjoy lunch out sans children AND see a movie in theaters that didn't feature cartoons or talking penguins.  And he gave me a beautiful new red winter coat.  Can't wait to make a scarf to go with it!

Christmas Eve found us at home, him working on the next day's desserts and me wrapping.  Wrapping all day.  ALLLLL day.  Usually I don't mind doing the family gifts on Christmas Eve, this year it was stressful and there was a lot of "What the hell was I thinking??"  That and weaving of ends and sewing buttons on Christmas gifts.  Hopefully next year will be better for that.   We have a tradition of going and looking at people's light displays on Christmas Eve and our town didn't disappoint.  They had a contest for residents in the weeks before and published the addresses of the winners.  It's a lot more fun when you're guaranteed some pretty displays!  After that it was popcorn and a movie until it was time to wake up for Santa the next day.  We spent the day at my brother's house, while the older cousins played and I got to snuggle my baby nephew.  

Then.....Legoland!!!!  We'd given the boys a trip to the new Boston Legoland Discovery Center for Christmas, and they loved it.  Everyone had a great time.  I took pictures but they're all pretty blurry.  That's because the kids were frenzied most of the time they were there...hopped up on plastic building bricks.  

We can talk about my knitted Christmas gifts a little later.  :)

My Yarn Helper

The day before Thanksgiving.

We don't host Thanksgiving, as we travel to Philly the day after for a second Thanksgiving with Brian's side of the family.  So my mom and dad usually host, and Brian makes something scrumptious for dessert.

In order for the scrumptious-ness to take place, we need to get outta the way!  So Will occupied himself downstairs on the computer.  And Sean and I decided to play with some yarn.

First, we chose a bunch of yarns for Christmas gifts, ornaments and charity mittens.  Sean loves to pick out colors for things.  Little does he know, he was picking out some for himself as well.

 Then naturally, we need to pose with ALL of the yarns.  Sean really enjoys getting buried on the couch.

Then comes the winding.  It's kind of hard to have the patience that it takes to let a four-year old help wind the yarn.  But the mantra "Be the kind of mom that they deserve" helped a little.  That and "What are some tangles??"  Well.....tangles and knots are the DEVIL, I'll have you know.  They didn't rear their ugly heads though, all winding went smoothly.

And now I have a whole bunch of lovely center-pull balls for Christmas knitting.  Thanks, Sean!

Fourth of July Weekend!

These are all the things that made for a special Fourth weekend.  We tie-dyed shirts (and I'm still washing dye off my fingers, and oddly, two left toes.)  The next picture is of my mom at my SIL's annual family picnic in RI, showing off her homemade pie skills.  (It was just as delicious as it looks here)  The last one is of my boys playing with the BALL that comes out at the picnic each year!  It was the first time that the picnic was held on the fifth of July, due to rain/thunderstorms/Hurricane Arthur.  It was a gorgeous day for it, though.

But the biggest part was finally letting the cat out of the bag to the kids....We're not going to the Cape for vacation as promised....we're going to ORLANDO!!!  At first they were a little skeptical, now they're totally excited!  And making lists and schedules of what we're going to see, Will watching the TV special of "The Making of Diagon Alley" the newest Harry Potter attraction at Universal Studios....etc etc.  We're all so excited!

Easter Preppin'

Ah, Easter in New England.  Will the great Egg Hunt be a nice day or require mittens?  Or will it rain like crazy and have to be moved inside, where my parent's pups and my Joey attempt to be contestants in the hunt?

Speaking of Easter Eggs, I have never dyed Easter eggs with my boys.  I would have last year but we were packing up the house and getting ready to move so I deemed it "too messy" while there were showings going on.  (It's been a year since we put on the market and can you tell I'm still THRILLED to be done with that process???)  I asked the kids about dyeing eggs and I think we've missed the opportunity.  Because I heard "No, Mom.  We want the plastic ones that you fill with treats."    Well, of course!!  We would've had those either way.  So now I'm torn.....do I get supplies and do it (possibly by myself) or just be glad that it won't be a mess?  Hmmmm....

Christmas Aftermath

The meal has been had, and memories have been made.  All of the gifts have been unwrapped and the boys were happily spoiled by family and Santa alike.  There's plenty of leftovers and togetherness.  So far we've met up with friends at Chuck e Cheese and had a lazy day of movies.  Today is more friends and food and my mother's Christmas cookies!  (In case you were wondering, my mom comes up with the best holiday treats.  Her "Christmas Crack" this year, a concoction of chex mix, coconut and other goodies is aptly named because it is addictive.)

Only a few days of 2013 left, and it's going to be a quiet end to the year, with the four of us home with a steak dinner and a special cake made by Daddy.  We've told the boys that they could stay up as late as they wanted this year, which is probably about 10pm.  Enjoying the family time that we're having together right now, because all too soon it will be back to work and school and the daily grind.

Wordless Wednesday: Easter Pics

Happy Holiday Moments

The stressies are starting to take over a little bit.  Tomorrow is my work's first holiday party, which isn't a lot to deal with but the setting up of chairs, making coffee etc.  But tomorrow night is my knitting group's annual potluck and swap.  On tap for tonight:  cooking massive quantities of Mexican chicken and rice.  (And hoping beyond hope that I REMEMBER to take it to work tomorrow for the party right after work!!!!)  Oh, and finish my swap item.  That's right, the day before.  This is the first year I've let that go until the very last minute.  But this is also the first year that my ideas for a good handmade swap item went to hell in a hand basket.  Hopefully I won't be staying up supah-late, trying to finish it.

Then this weekend there's a birthday party that both boys are attending.  And Christmas shopping.  And whatever else running-around that goes with a regular weekend.  I'm trying not to panic....I'm not going to let the anxiety win this year. 

Then this morning, I got a little bit of peace.  I put some toys for Hubby to bring to work for Toys for Tots on the kitchen table two days ago, but I don't think I told him why they were there.  (There you go, Honey.  I've told you.)  Sean was playing with one of them yesterday, and of course wants to keep it.  Then Will started with it today, and wants to keep it as well. It's a little toy car that plays music ("PUMP UP THE JAM, Pump it up, Pump it up!"  Ugh.) Finally I explained that the car and animals were for kids that Santa couldn't get to, that had parents that even though they wanted to, couldn't afford presents for their kids.

Instant silence.  Then Will put the toy down on the table and said, "That is the saddest thing, it makes me want to cry.  Let's go out and buy a hundred more....I don't want anyone to not have a present on Christmas." 

And that folks, is really what it is all about!  Nevermind the list of errands, the cooking, the cleaning, the shopping, the STRESSING.  Giving.  And sharing and caring. That's what it is about.

Same Old Song.

In reference to the last blog:

1.  Leaky toilet may have caused damage to the bath floor, or subfloor, I should say.  There are two doors to the bathroom, and one is a real pain to open and close because of the swollen floor.  Hoping as it dries out over the next couple of weeks the floor will stop swelling and go back to it's regular size.  If not, well....things are really going to suck.  I'm not going to sugarcoat it, it's going to involve ripping up the flooring and (GULP!) cutting into one of our bedroom walls to get at the subfloor and replace it.  Seems like a good time to start re-doing the bathroom like we wanted, right?  No.  No time.  And no money for new fixtures and painting, replacing the ceiling tiles and all that jazz.  Cross your appendages please, dry floor=no destruction of the bathroom and bedroom!

2.  Car continues to overheat.  It appears to only do it when driving around town and not on the highway.  No lights are coming on the dash or anything, the thermostat is just hotter than normal.  Brian found a blown fuse, replaced it and it blew again.  Not good.  Not looking forward to the call from the mechanic today.

3.  Zyliss chopper replaced!  After kindergarten screening yesterday Will and I took a trip to Bed Bath and Beyond to get Daddy a little something for Father's day, and I replaced the chopper for $15.
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Wow, that is a lot of crap to deal with in the past week.  To balance it a little bit, how about I tell you three things that I'm grateful for?

A.  Ran out of yarn while working on my friend Tracy's grandaughter's sweater for her first birthday.  (NO, that's not the good thing.)  It was a hand-dyed wool that I bought two years ago at Webs that I've had kicking in my stash.  It's gorgeous, pinks, purples oranges and yellows, reminds me of a sunset.  I got to the armholes and ran out.  Luckily, I scoured the internet and found another hank of it on Ebay.  It came yesterday and unfortunately is more yellow-orange than the previous two hanks which were more purple-pink.  But I can cut it and use what I need and save the rest for mittens that I knit for charity.

B.  I have a sweet husband who brings a cup of coffee to me every morning while I am in the shower.  He knows that I have a rough times with mornings and has caffeine at the ready.  Coffee=love.

C.  Will and I came up with a really great Father's Day gift yesterday.  I can't wait til Sunday!  Will has also proven that he can keep a secret, I'm pretty proud of him.

So there you have it.  The House of Crafty Mama is experiencing some troubles, but I can still find things to be grateful for.  Not that I had any doubts.  :)

When it rains.....We Knit.

I've got FO's to share!  This weekend was quite knit-heavy, with all the rain on Saturday.  I managed to finish and block the "Kaitlyn" baby sweater that I made for my childhood friend.  It's all done, minus the buttons.  And that's just as much about choosing one of the three sets of buttons that I purchased as it is about sewing them on.  This is so sweet!

The second object:  "Simple Things" shawlette.  My sweet model:

He loves trying on stuff and smiling for the camera.  He also loves picking out things for Mama to knit.  :)  I know that he won't want to do these things forever, so I'm relishing it while I can!

This is my first completed Christmas gift.  Mark the date:  June 4, 2012 aka the earliest I've ever finished a handmade gift.  And there's a lot more coming, a whole Ravelry queue full of 'em!

Happy Mother's Day

A fantastic Mother's Day celebration in my life the past two days...last night my family came over and Mom baked a lasagna here at the house.   We got to linger over dessert (mini pastries and coffee) and I got lots of snuggle time with my niece.  (who is six months old today....does time fly or what!!)

Today started with a fabulous waffle breakfast at home, and a gift from the kids--they are sending me to a class at Webs to learn how to steek!   (Steeking....a way of cutting your knitting to make an opening for a sleeve or head, etc.  Just the very idea of cutting my knitting intimidates the heck out of me!)  Then at Hubby's suggestion, the four of us plus my mom headed to New Hampshire to go to the New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival!  Heaven for mom and me.  Brian walked and entertained the kiddos while Mom and I perused yarn and pet alpacas.  (The boys loved the alpacas, and "baa-ing" back at the sheep.)  We got to eat super-delicious Fair food (sausage sandwiches, ice cream, etc)  I came home with some delightful sock yarn to try my hand at socks for both Hubby and I (third time's the charm, right?)  and Mom treated me to some gorgeous cornflower blue wool-cashmere blend that I am going to turn into a shawl for myself.  All in all, a very delightful day.  I am so lucky to have such a great family.

Happy First Mother's Day to my SIL.  Happy "First" Mother's Day to my friends out there that are expecting babies later this year.  And Happy Mother's Day to ALL Moms, past present and future!

A Long Week

Oh, I don't think I've been so happy to see a Friday for awhile!  It's been one of "those weeks" and I know a lot of other people out there are letting out a collective sigh of relief.  The week after traveling on a weekend (PA last weekend) is always tough.  Even though Hubby and I went by ourselves this time, getting back on Sunday and the hustle n bustle of weekend chores cram-jammed into a few hours plus unpacking is a downer to say the least.

In this week:

- I had a really big eviction case yesterday.  And although the outcome isn't perfect, I still emerge victorious.  I'm also hoping that it's the last time I see the inside of the courthouse for some time.   And on that note...24 days to go til April 30th!

-Will's preschool lost his jacket.  Poor kid has been wearing a sweatshirt to school in the mornings.  Nobody seems to have any idea where it may be, and I'm irritated but it's not worth getting upset about.  It was last year's jacket and getting  tight.  So this weekend will bring a new jacket for him.  I'm hoping to brave the library and Target with both kids tomorrow...wish me luck!  :)

Plus, it's Easter weekend!  Dinner will be at my Mom and Dad's, and we have a fabulous Easter egg hunt planned in their backyard.  Of course, this means that there's eggs to stuff (we're not dyeing eggs til next year...too messy  and chaotic at age 2.  That's a lesson I learned with the first son!)  and some errands tomorrow.

Happy Easter to Everyone  :)

Leapin' Lizards!

It's February 29th....that magical day that only comes around every four years.  When I was a kid I thought that there was something magical about it, and I wish I still believed that.  I thought that anyone born on this day was kind of screwed, only getting a birthday ever four years....I mean, how messed up is that?  From a kid's point of view anyway, as an adult it seems to be kind of cool.  A visit from the Wrinkle Fairy every four years.  :)

Happy Leap Day to all.....hope someone out there is doing something more awesome than me:  spending it behind a desk.  But hey....Wednesday's Knitting Night!  I look forward to it all week.

No new and exciting projects to talk about, I've mostly done charity knitting.  I've got fifteen pairs of mittens done since 1/1/12, and a whole bunch of baby hats too.  Something big is blooming on the horizon though, but I'm not sure what the next "big" project is.  Annndddd.....I've started my shopping list for the tent sale at Webs in May.  Yes, I am well aware that it's 2.5 months away, a girl's gotta have a plan!  (and a budget.)

Christmas Eve Snuggles

Snugglin' with Sean...taking a break from wrappin', bakin', cleanin' and otherwise preparin'.  Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Christmas Spirit and Kindness

I feel like I've heard a lot more stories about "helping your fellow human being" and paying it forward this Christmas Season.  This is wonderful!  Given all of the negativity out there in the world, random acts of Christmas Kindness out there don't get as much publicity as they should.  I mean, we all heard the story about the woman out in California who, while shopping at Walmart on Black Friday, sprayed pepper spray into the air so that she could purchase a video game system before anyone else could get to it.  I mean.....that is a disgusting display of behavior.  And for every story like that that's publicized, you know that there are more just like it that you haven't heard. 

So when I read stories like the ones about Secret Santas paying off people's layaway bills for Christmas Gifts for Children, it shows that random acts are alive and well.  And I know that this one is true...I know one person in real life that had her Walmart layaway for her three kids' Christmas gifts paid off by an anonymous donor.  I say, way to go!!  THAT's the Spirit of Christmas!  This morning I saw on Facebook that one of my FB friends was in Burger King yesterday, buying dinner for herself and her three kids after a trip to see Santa.  She realized that she didn't have enough cash on her for everyone's dinner, so she bought dinner for the kids and nothing for herself.  Soon after, the manager on duty brought her out a tray of dinner, because an anonymous person had seen that she didn't have any dinner, and bought dinner for her.  BRAVO! 

All of these little stories like this, they reminded me of the movie "Scrooged" with Bill Murray, the big speech he gives at the end about changing himself and believing in the Christmas Miracle.  I'll close this post with a little blurb from it.  And with this:  I feel the Christmas Spirit this year, for the first time in years.  Merry Christmas to all!
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"And if you give, then it can happen, the miracle can happen to you.

Not just the poor and hungry, Everybody's gotta have this miracle!
It can happen tonight for you all!
If you believe in this pure thing,
the miracle will happen and you'll want it again tomorrow!
You won't say, "Christmas is once a year and it's a fraud." It's not!
It can happen every day! You've just got to want that feeling!
You'll want it every day! It can happen to you!
I believe in it now.
I believe it's gonna happen to me, now. I'm ready for it!
And it's great. It's a good feeling.
It's better than I've felt in a long time." --Billy Murray, "Scrooged"

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Wicked Random Thursday

1.  I still feel sick, and it's been a week.  But I'm still pushing myself to do everything that needs to get done.  If it wasn't for this rent-up and the resulting mound of work, I think I'd stay home today.  And we're out of cold meds.

2.  Regarding the cold meds, I seriously considered for a minute this morning taking an expired Advil Cold and Sinus.  (I didn't.)

3. Last night my friends at knitting tried to convince me that the hat I was knitting for Hubby for Christmas was just too big.  I stubbornly refused to believe it.  I brought it home, put the little bit I had done on top of his head, and it's too big.  Dammit!  My friends were right.

4.  I am not starting a new hat ten days before Christmas.  Hubby will not suffer if he doesn't have a hat on Christmas Day.  And neither will the boys....the little monsters that I started knitting for them can surely be a "just because" gift during the winter doldrums.

5.  With that decision made, I am DONE with Christmas knitting. .  And now I will make a few things for myself.  I deserve it, right?  :)

6.   Later on, I'll pick that hat back up and knit it for charity.  Some man with a big Sasquatch head is going to be thrilled to get a hat in his size!

7.  We have a big surprise planned for the boys this weekend.  It involves a 90-minute drive, lots of Christmas lights and the boys' first train ride.  Hope I'm feeling better by then so I can enjoy it!

Christmas Card Outtakes

The Christmas Cards came in the mail yesterday, ready to be stuffed, addressed, stamped and mailed.  It was NOT easy to get a photo this year!!  While I won't post our actual Christmas card, here are some of the tries to get a decent photo of my two lil' monkeys:  these were all taken at my parent's house on Thanksgiving.

Transitions

It's finally happening!  The thing that I have looked forward to for so very, very long.  My new property is becoming a reality.  My return to senior housing.....where I've always felt that I belong. 

I did a PR event last Friday and met a lot of folks who are interested in applying to the new place.  I'm putting together an application packet and will be doing mailings, and reserving a hall for the housing lottery, and I'm loving every minute of it.  Of course, the transition time between my current job and my new job, well, it's going to be a busy, overwhelming and stressful November/December.  Add the holiday craziness to that and the daily life of Manager Mom, and I'm already feeling a bit overwhelmed.  This is going to be a difficult, yet delicious chapter.  One that I welcome and will perservere.  With the silliness and support of friends, the patience and backbone  of my family and the clicking of my knitting needles, this will be great.  :)

Happy Easter :)

Another great Easter has come and gone.  It was a beautiful, gorgeous sunny day, perfect for an easter egg hunt in Nana and Papa's backyard.  Sean slept through the whole thing, so we re-created a little hunt for him later.

Nana made a ham dinner, which we all enjoyed!  Nobody enjoyed it quite as much as Sean though....it turns out that he prefers ham to dessert!   (Which is his loss, as dessert was adorable Peep cupcakes and easter sugar cookie cutouts decorated as eggs, bunnies and chicks.)   Or as my Dad pointed out, "Why don't we just put the whole ham in front of him since it's what he wants?"  We didn't of course...because he would obviously pull it down onto his tray. 

The boys were spoiled by EVERYONE.  Easter baskets from daycare, beach pails and plastic eggs from us, a really cool gardening basket from Aunt Nancy, baskets and stuffed animals from Auntie Kim and Uncle Brian, and personalized baskets from Nana and Papa.  The basket from Kim and Brian had a stuffed dog in there wearing bunny ears, Will has claimed her and named her "Cuteflower" and added her to his entourage. 

Both kids absolutely sacked out in the car on the way home and Will didn't even want a bedtime story or lullabies from Mom....just "bed, please!"

Happy Easter, everyone!  Hope yours was as wonderful as ours and that you were surrounded with friends and family.