Tuesday, October 31, 2006

projects upon projects

First - the best news. My glucose test is totally normal! Yeah! No gestational diabetes so far. I was really worried this weekend. I am starting to feel quite secure in this pregnancy - which is funny because I felt totally secure that E would be born totally healthy my entire pregnancy. This one just feels a little more touch and go. I guess starting that blanket really helped!

I've also been working on a couple of other projects. A luscious chocolate brown cabled sweater for E. I copy lots of patterns out of books and then keep on file and even though I am a librarian, I often forget to write the "source" of the pattern - so I can't actually remember which kids knitting book this one is from. The yarn is so rich and yummy. My little friend Sienna said, "You're knitting chocolate." yum.

Sunday, October 29, 2006

first second baby project

With the news of having another baby being still so fresh to us, I am having many more nerves than when I was pregnant with E . . . just worrying that "everything is alright." My glucose levels were a bit high so I have to go back in for the long 3 hour glucose test next week. I'm trying not to worry TOO much but there is definite fidgeting going on. So I thought to try and cement the pregnancy in reality by knitting him/her a first gift. What baby wouldn't want to stick around and come into this world if they can be wrapped up in this lovey? It's a knitty pattern called Wild Strips. The yarn just arrived from KnitPicks so away I go.
Stay baby, stay.

Friday, October 27, 2006

pumpkin patch

We took a side trip to the pumpkin patch on the way home from the beach. It was out in Hillsboro, in the middle of pumpkin country, considering how many different pumpkin patch signs we saw. E picked out his pumpkin and then took a ride on "Toodles" the mule. hee hee! He was filled with this amazing look of pride as he rode the "pony." THDC wanted to hold on to him while he rode but I made him let go so E could feel like a big boy - and he certainly did. A world of difference from last year's pony ride that was filled with tears.
We went on a hayride around the farm - it was lovely. I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that I am one generation "off the farm" in my family genealogy and yet E is most happiest when he is on a farm.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

happy news

Happy news! E is going to be a big brother. He is THRILLED and Tall House, Double Cup and I are happy and a bit relieved. Trying to get pregnant was sort of stressful and nerve-racking . . . but now that's over and we are on our way! I am due in mid-May and will have an exact date after the next ultrasound. I've already got to see the baby and his/her fast beating heart - which was such a lovely piece of tangible proof that the baby is real. I haven't been sick at all - just generally teary and overly emotional. Lucky for THDC!
E said that if we have a boy we should name him Sammy and if it's a girl we should name her Trigger after his horse. He also is requesting not a brother or a sister but one of each. I wasn't sad to confirm that just one is one the way.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

beach weekend

I haven't been blogging because we were off on a long beach weekend with friends. We rented an amazing house at Cape Kiwanda, right on the beach - like literally the sand came right to the door! The kids could run and play like crazy while we played cards, read our books, and relaxed. E was especially happy to have two little boys his own age to play with. We took a nature walk into the forest, jumped waves, and made Halloween cupcakes. I totally forgot about my housekeeper problems and let go of the anger I was feeling towards our neighbor who is remodeling his house himself and starts at 6:30am. well . . . maybe I've let MOST of that anger go.
The kids were so good and had minimal hurt feelings /bodies and maximum excitement/play.
I upped my standings in our card games by not knitting while playing cards - second place! It was almost worth it.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

precision weakness

E had been asking to make gingerbread men for a couple of days so we had Moo over to cut out cookies. We went through my collection of cookie cutters (no gingerbread boy/girl shapes - how could I not have those) and E picked out a heart, a hand, a cat, and a shooting star.
Thank goodness Marfie was there or else ALL of the cookies would have come out crispy - I have multiple timers and none of the alarms work so I kept forgetting to to take out the pans.

There is a reason I cook more than bake - precision in not my natural strength. In the end, the two friends had milk and crispy hearts and had some playtime together.

Monday, October 16, 2006

reconstruction

I need to do MAJOR reconstruction on Moo's Flowery Sweater. She stopped by for a fitting this weekend - she has teeny, slender little shoulders - the sweater dress, as it is now, would slip right off her a la Flashdance. And while Marf isn't opposed to 80's trends, it doesn't seem appropriate for a two-year-old. So there will be some frogging in the house this week. I am okay with it because I also had an unfortunate incident with one skein's color being just slightly off. I need to frog the finished arms and use that yarn to finish the top. I think the sleeves will look fine being a teeny bit lighter than the body.

While I get to work on that, here is a sweet picture of E and Moo at the Farmer's Market this weekend. They were waiting, cash in hand, for their balloon art - sword for E, flower for Moo.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

rained out at the pumpkin patch


We got rained out from our annual trip to the pumpkin patch - serious rain today. So we settled for a trip to the market's pumpkin patch. Not half as exciting but when you need to see pumpkins, you need to see pumpkins.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

still life

E and I have been decorating for Halloween. I think this is one of our more sophisticated offerrings. Still Life - with ghost pumpkins and cotton.

I got this yummy chocolate brown yarn to make my own CeCe but I think it might go for a cabled sweater for E instead. I'm not ready to face CeCe again. I really should leave the still life alone until it's time for our Christmas decorating . . . .

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

moving on

I am tired of posting about Martha . . . even though the whole adventure was fabulous. Let's get back to knitting. I am on pins and needles waiting to see if the Flowery Sweater for Moo is going to work. Everything is knitted, everthing is blocked, but I am just doubting it a bit. I need a Moo Model to shape it onto since the real girl is a bit hard to get to slow down - she IS 2 you know!
While I was stressing about the sizing, I made a sweet little hat to match. Maybe the hat will distract from any weird shaping issues.

I've got a date with the treadmill tonight so I won't get much progress done. I think I need to make an appointment to go see Moo and do a real fitting. So Project Runway.

Thursday, October 05, 2006

martha martha part deux

The Martha Stewart Living Good Things event was so great it's taking two blog entries to cover it all.
We got a couple of sneak peeks at upcoming issue stories. Martha showed up the silver-gilded arc as well as glittered animals for the holiday table - not my thing at all, but it was fun to watch her do the crafty stuff in front of 2,000 people.






There was an art auction to fund a garden and playground across from the new wing at Cedars-Sinai that Martha is dedicating to her mother. Martha talked up the photos a bit - they were going for $500-$2000. There were two photos by Martha that I think went for around $3,000.









From left: Kevin Sharkey, Editorial Director of Decorating, Sharkey the French Bulldog, and Hannah Milman, Editorial Director, Crafts. She created that amazing Martha wreaths book in the 90's.





There was more than a bit of the absurd at the event.
Absurd #1: I love Paw Paw, Martha's prize chow. I really do. But not enough to lay on the ground and kiss him the way several people were doing. Paw Paw ignored them and kept drinking from his Depression Glass bowl.
Absurd #2: My encounter with Martha (see blog entry from yesterday).
Absurd #3: At the homekeeping session with Melanio Gomez, I won a flat-screen tv! I had just moved up to the third row (all the better to see the cool organizing stuff Melanio was doing) when he told us all to look under our seats. Voila! I was so excited and sort of jumped around but since I wasn't with anyone, no one in my room was particularly happy for me. I called Tall House, Double Cup and shared the joy on cell phone. They are sending it sometime next month. hee hee.

I still have a couple more pictures to add and a bit more to tell, but I'll have to wait until tomorrow. Work calls.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

martha, oh martha!

I was out of town at the fabulous Martha Stewart Living's 15th Anniversary Celebration this past weekend. There was laughter, tears, joy, and more! This is going to be an excessively long blog entry so just skip if Martha isn't an interest of yours.
First, the tears - I didn't get in to see the Martha show on Friday, despite standing in line for HOURS. I really hadn't thought for a moment I wouldn't get in, so I was a little teary as I walked through Chelsea.
An amazing lunch at Union Square Cafe restored my faith in my NCY trip. House-made pasta with lobster and orange oil. Lovely. I spent the rest of the day shopping up Broadway at yarn stores, antique shops, and dish stores. Happy girl.
The big event was all day Saturday at Pier 94 - which was transformed into a very Martha area - lots of grey, white and green. Martha came out and spoke for 90 minutes on the iconic images of the past fifteen years of the magazine. It was fabulous! She is an amazing speaker - no hesitations or ums and ahs. I took pages and pages of notes - I am not sure why - I was just feeling so inspired. Martha looked amazing. I saw her several times during the day and was happily surprised how positive and happy she seemed to be about the entire celebration. She obviously isn't an ice princess icon to her staff but is highly admired. She is also skinny skinny in person - much more so than on her show.
After she spoke, there were a number of stations to visit around the Pier - all of the different magazines under Martha Stewart Omnimedia were represented. I bought a pretty transferware cup and saucer at the "tag sale" and was questioning myself about wasting time waiting in line to pay, when in swept Martha, five bodyguard, her two French bulldogs (I kid you not), Charles Koppelman (her CFO) and various pr types. She walked right up to me and said, "What are you getting?" And in a total trance, holding the cup and saucer in each hand, stupidly replied, "A cup and saucer." I was stunned and excited and absolutely a dork. After saying, "lovely" she and her group swept on. I was congratulated by all in line next to me, but was stunned for several minutes.
I took one of the special workshops - "Good Things for the Holiday Table." There is nothing I like doing more than setting a pretty table - really, I know it's silly but my mother and grandmother set great tables and it's a point of pride to me to be able to do it to. Sadly, the class was really "crafty" and more about making little things for the table than the higher concept I was hoping for. We deconstructed a pine cone only to reglue it together again in the shape of a flower. I'd much prefer to just have a pretty pine cone on the table. We justed pears with gold dust - again, I'd rather just have the pretty pair. We made fun candles with sheets of beeswax and cookie cutters - something my three year-old will dig. We did get cute aprons which made the class sort-of worth it.

After lunch, Kevin Sharkey, Eric Pike, and Gael Towey - all long-time Living editors, gave a presentation on their fifteen favorite decorating ideas. The three of them are SO knowledgeable and the real style mavens behind the magazine. Martha's new home in Bedford, NY is painted completely "sharkey" grey, and her new French Bulldog is also named Sharkey - he's definitely a big influence in her life. Eric Pike is known as Father Christmas at MSL and I wish he had had more time to talk about his Christmas spreads.
Martha's daughter Alexis and Jennifer Koppelman did their radio who live from the conference floor. Both were deadly gorgeous in person and signed a photo for me.


I am terribly behind at home and work so I'll blog more tomorrow about the rest of the day/trip to NYC. Off to the library!