Birthday Crafting . . . I hope

Mr. Manny Man has his 3rd birthday coming up at the end of next month. Never mind that I discovered this weekend that his size 3 pants are starting to look short.  Sigh.  In any event, see that wanna be crown above?  I started it for his first birthday.  I'm feeling pretty good about being able to pull it together for this year, though!  Hold a good thought for me, if you would, please.  I can use all the extra motivation.

And that dragon up there . . . while his story is not as sad as that of the crown (he was cut for the most part Thanksgiving weekend - this past Thanksgiving thankyouverymuch), he only has a wee bit of sewing done on him.  And my little guy would like a dinosaur.

But, he loves, loves, loves, horses.  As you can see here:

This hobby horse traveled with us last summer to Hilton Head Island.  And he has co-opted his sister's Christmas gift - a horse for an 18" doll.  And he has named him (and his other horse friends) Barney.

So, you see, I have to consider this.  I should be able to whip up at least 2 of these, I'd think.

If I didn't have Easter knitting to do.  There is a lovely bunny pattern I found on ravelry that is just begging to be knit and I cast on for Coco's dress tonight.  And then there is the sweater I have to knit for the school auction (but that's not until the end of April).  And did I mention I want to do some charity knitting for Lent?

Oy.  I need more hours in the day.  But then who doesn't?

One more thing.  Miss Coco made her first needle felted project on Saturday.  I am so proud of her!

What are you working on?  This is my first time joining Nicole over at Frontier Dreams for her Craft Along.  Happy crafting!

This Moment

Joining Soulemama in her weekly post (my first time!) . . . .

Yarn Along

I have been woefully neglectful of this little blog.  How ironic, the name that is.  There is so much I have already forgotten because I have not written it down.  About 2 weeks ago, Coco asked me what her favorite foods were as a baby.  Sadly, I couldn't remember.  Fortunately, I had written it down somewhere!

Hopefully, by participating in this Yarn Along from Small Things, I can get to this space a little more regularly and record a bit much more.  You can see Ginny's Yarn Along page here

I impulsively cast on for this little number this past Friday night.  I need to knit a dress for Coco and had an entirely different sweater planned for Gian's birthday sweater (and had purchased new yarn to boot!).  I had also been wanting to knit him a mini Cobblestone in some wonderful, dark green Peace Fleece I have.  But, spring is coming, and dark green won't due.  And after his reaction to his last knit sweater (finished last week),  I just had to get another one going for him.  I remembered this yellow I had and knew it would be perfect.  Perfect lasted until Saturday when I was finishing the yoke and frantically looking for that apparently non-existent second skein of yellow Peace Fleece.  I went to my ravelry page and confirmed the awful truth.  I only had one skein of it.  I was not happy.  So, I had to figure out how to salvage this number.  And this is why I had to come up with something:

When I finished knitting said previous sweater, I tried it on Mr. Manny Man after having kitchenered one  arm pit and still having the other to go, and with ends hanging off of the sleeves and body.  You know what he said?  "I wuv it!"  With all the appropriate emphasis on "wuv".  Then when I went to take it off of him, do you know what he said?  "Not yet."  Not yet!!  He is truly my most knitworthy recipient.  And he's not quite 3 yet.  My dad and younger brother probably tie for second.

So, here it is:

The book is what I am currently reading and using in my prayer time in the mornings I manage to have prayer time.  A Mother's Heart A look at values, vision, and character for the Christian mother by Jean Fleming.  I bought this book almost 6 years ago.  Pitiful, I know.  It is a very good read, and it is enhancing my prayer time.  I am enjoying it very much.

Spending time with this book this morning helped me pull of the nearly impossible - making it to church tonight by myself with the kids.  I have been awful, just awful about getting them to church regularly and I am ashamed of my failure in this department.  But, I was happy, so very happy tonight.  The devil tried to discourage me when there was an accident on the way to church that slowed us down quite a bit.  I almost turned around.  But, I wanted my ashes.  I wanted the children to know this is an important day to recognize and acknowledge.  Blessedly, we made it.  What's more, they were good.  They were very, very good!  I didn't have to leave mass once.  Thank you, God!

My Review of Toolbox Trolley

Originally submitted at Magic Cabin

Little carpenters-in-training can keep the tools of their trade close at hand with this clever wooden pushcart. Magnetic forces hold the hammer, screwdriver and wrench securely in place on the front, while an assortment of building supplies (wood, nuts, bolts, washers and kid-safe nails) can be kep...

Toolbox Trolley

Good toy

By Elisa from Chicago, IL on 11/17/2011

 

3out of 5

Pros: Interactive, Realistic, Entertaining, Fun

Cons: Flimsy

Best Uses: Indoor, Group Activity, Imaginative Play, Young Children

Describe Yourself: Parent Of Two Or More Children, Working Parent

Was this a gift?: Yes

All of the tools have separated from the handles and did so fairly early on. We gave this to our son for Christmas last year (he's 2.5 now) and I hardly remember the assembly, so, it wasn't that traumatic or difficult for us. It's great to have a little place to store all of his "tool time" stuff and to help him feel like he's really helping with the handywork around the house!

(legalese)

My Little Lover Boy

Oh, boy, do I love this boy!  As much as he seems to get sweeter by the day, he is most definitely all.boy.  He reminds me when he starts throwing things for absolutely no reason but to experience the sheer joy and abandonment of free movement.  Or when he climbs up behind me on my dinner chair - repeatedly - shouting (to himself, because the effort is all for him) "Three, two, one . . . blast off!" before jumping off of the chair and announcing, "I did it!!!"  And I know full well that must have been the main activity at school today for him  . . .  or what he observed other boys doing.  He pulls his sister's hair and delights in pushing her buttons.

Then he does something like he did just last week.  On the way into pre-school, he saw one of the dog's toys on the ground, a monkey.  He picked it up, "Look, Mommy - a monkey!"  That captured his attention until moments later when he saw Anya.  He carefully put the monkey down on the raised bed which had been put to rest for the winter just the weekend before during the Harvest Festival, and he took Anya by the hand as though they'd planned this meeting long ago.  He then proceeded to walk her around the garden, by the hand.  He ran with her and took her to another area of the garden.

I hated to break up his little love fest, but, I knew nature would be calling and he's still potty learning.  So, I took him to the bathroom.  While in there he said, "That's my girl . . . she's my sister."  It was the sweetest thing!

This is the stage of unsolicited "I love you"s and "Kisses, Mommy!" and "I give you hug" (when he's trying to avoid being put to bed).  I do adore this little boy.

And did I mention his dimples?  The girls are gonna be in trouble with this one!  But, I often remind him he is going to be a gentleman, and a good man.  I'm not raising any ladies man or jerk.

The Blessing of the Broken Refrigerator

One might wonder how that could be.  Especially since it was out for 2 weeks, causing us to spend ooo-gobbs of money eating out every day and costing nearly $600 to repair.  Yes, it is a nice refrigerator, but, we've only had it about 20 months.  I was not expecting this to say the least.  And it began to die a day or two before we left for vacation.  We came home a week later to quite a stench in the refrigerator.

Cleaning it out, though, helped me realize that we buy too much food.  I don't know if I have a need to provide myself comfort for some deeply rooted fear of running out of something, but, I realized I buy and cook too much food.  My husband had mentioned once in a passing comment that I cook too much (crazy, right?).  I heard it, but, couldn't fathom how that could be true.  I work full time and do not cook every day.

The reality is that my family and I do not consume all that I cook for a meal.  We have left overs.  Which we don't always finish before I'm cooking a fresh meal.  I've decided there will not be a third fresh meal until numbers 1 and two are done.

As a result, I cooked only once and my husband cooked.

One of my goals this year is to understand the true cost of running our household.  Little realizations like this will help me to do  so,

The Sweetest Sound

I think it was one night this week . . . first trimester pregnancy brain is in full effect, so, I'm not sure . . . but I was too tired to put Mr. Man to bed in the crib, so, I lay him down next to me and began to sing him his bedtime songs.  He's just 26 months and has yet to master all of his consonants and the associated annunciation.  His speech is coming along, though.  I think he says more at this age than did his sister.

That brings me to his singing.  Of course, since I sing the same songs to him every night, he knows them by now.  And this night, he sang along.  When he could.  Which was mostly the last word of each phrase.

What a sweet little sound to hear right before sleep!