And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming

I may never be organized, especially with my kitchen stuff. I also can't find my Denise needles, which is kind of a big deal. I have knitting to do!

Last weekend was the baby shower for my BFF who is expecting triplets sometime in the next 4-12 weeks. I didn't think I would manage to get much done, but I finished 2/3 of my goal.

 First up, I made numbered hats. I hope they wear them a lot!!!

 

 I also made Tummy Warmer vests. These took a lot longer than I thought they would! The stitch pattern is easy, but kind of finicky. Also, something about the way I twisted the needles kept causing my interchangeables to separate from the cord. SO TIME CONSUMING! I think everything turned out really cute though!

The third hat is done, but I need to duplicate stitch on the "3". I haven't started the 3rd vest yet, but hey, I still have 4-12 weeks!


I'm getting SUPER excited for Rhinebeck!!!! 45 days to go! I'm hoping to submit 2 knitted items and one skein of handspun to the Skein and Garment competition. I've started the first knitted item and I have my first single done for the handspun. My mom rescued my sweater this weekend (she also sewed the buttons onto the vests), so I'm almost positive that it will be ready to wear for the Festival. I sincerely hope that there is much more knitting content to come!

Transitions

We closed on our house two weeks ago today. DH and I celebrated by having a picnic on the floor of our new family room. Since then, life has been whirlwind. We moved the next day and have been unpacking ever since. There are still boxes in almost every room, I have no idea how to fit all of my kitchen stuff into the kitchen, and we've become painfully aware of all of the work that needs to be done in the house. I would complain, but I'm way too excited to be in MY house and free to do whatever I want with it. The kids seem to be settling into the neighborhood. They've made friends and spend a lot of time outside on the tire swing, riding their bikes, or playing basketball. Today was the first day of school and I can't wait to hear how their days went. I invited the moms at the bus stop over for coffee after the kids got on the bus, so I guess I'm on my way to making new friends. I know that the process of settling in can be slow. I find myself overwhelmed because every where I look there's something that should be taken care of immediately. I'm trying to cut myself some slack and take breaks here and there. I think things will be easier starting next week - the kids will be in school, DH will be back at work, and I'll be done with my job in our old city - full days at home will go a long way to getting unpacked and organized! There's been a tiny bit of knitting going on. I have a baby shower this weekend, so I need to get on the ball and fast! Hopefully I'll get to show you what I've been working on soon. I'm not sure how regular my posting will be, but I'm going to try! Happy Knitting!

Preparing for the Olympic Games

Despite everything going on around here, I've decided to participate in the Ravellenic Games. I've joined the Boston "Wicked Pissahs" Team and hope to compete and finish in the Baby Dressage Event. (I had also hoped to do the yarn dyeing event, but have pulled out due to extreme moving craziness.) So, tonight, I've wound my yarn and gathered my supplies:

I hope to complete three Tummywarmers to give to my BFF at her baby shower Labor Day Weekend. I'm hoping that the knitting deadline will give me an excuse to watch some of the Olympic Games without feeling too guilty. Are you participating in the games? GO TEAM USA!!!!

Complaints

Thank you for all the kind comments about our house. We are anxious to actually move in and make it truly ours. In the meantime, though, we're slowly packing, and researching all kinds of different things - cost of play structures for the kids, Victorian-style kitchens, and the town's trash pickup, and other such fun things. However, it hasn't all been great news around here. On Sunday morning, my husband was in an accident while riding his bicycle and broke his collar bone. I shouldn't even complain about this - it's evident from his injuries and the marks on his helmet and clothes that if he had not been wearing a helmet, he would be dead or in a vegetative state. Kids - wear your helmets!!!!! Almost all serious bikers (which he is) break their collarbone at least once. I would have just liked it to NOT be a month before we move. He has surgery to repair the break (which isn't just a simple break, but a multiple one) on Thursday, and he won't be able to lift anything for a few weeks. So, guess who'll be packing everything by herself? He's in some pain; the pain medication helps quite a bit, but it also makes him a little loopy, which means I'm also dealing with the kids all by myself. It's exhausting. Again, I'm super duper thankful that this wasn't much worse, but that doesn't really help alleviate the stress. And then, this evening, my car died. Couldn't be jumped, wouldn't make a sound, dead. I'm hopeful it's just the starter, but who knows. And since I'm on the complaint wagon, I'll also add that baby girl doesn't want to nap since everyone else is home all day, and she's exhausted and confused by the move, and she's pretty abominable to be around these days. Did I mention that I'm feeling stressed and exhausted? I'm going to try to count my blessings! My family is alive and well (or should be well in 4-6 weeks, anyway). We're moving into our total dream house next month, and the kids will have plenty of space to grown and play. We believe that God has a plan for us, and that He is going to take care of us, so really, we've got nothing to worry about. We've already collected a ton of free boxes, a desk, and a dresser from Craigslist (have you SEEN what people give away? It's crazy!!!!!). In short, we have nothing to complain about, even if we have hit some bumps (or, in my husband's case, holes) in the road. I'll try to stay on the positive side of things, but I'm finding it hard to do in the moment. Maybe I'll start singing that song from White Christmas.

House Pictures

Here are some more pictures of our new house (mostly so my family can see them. I miss Ofoto.com) Unfortunately, we don't get all the furniture with the house!

I'm sure you've all noticed the lack of posting and the significant lack of knitting going on at chez Mommy's house these days. In fact, I haven't actually knit anything since July 4th, and the weeks before that were just stitches here and there.

The fact is, this Mommy and her hubby have been looking for a new house. We rent an apartment and our family of 6 has been busting at the seams for quite some time now. Boston-area real estate is crazy expensive though, so it's only been recently that we've been in a position to look for a house of our own.

I am excited to tell all of you that we have found our dream house!!!!!! This may be, literally, the one house that my husband and I could whole-heartedly agree upon. It's a 5-bedroom, 1875 Victorian, located about 25 miles from our current home (or 35 miles from Boston). Here's a picture:

It's HUGE!!!! It's on a corner lot, so there's a pretty big side yard, plus the back yard.

I'm sure I'll be posting more pictures, especially after we close and move (closing is August 15th and we move the 16th). I'm sure you can all imagine that packing up and moving will be busy and stressful, so I make no guarantees about posting, but I hope to be able to share with you some parts of our new adventure. I sure would love to get some knitting done too!!!

I have many favorites about this house, but one of the best things is the unfinished bedroom on the third floor. That's destined to become my craft room!!!!

I'm so excited to not only be buying our first home, but to feel like it will be our last home too. We feel blessed beyond measure.

Happy spinning or knitting to you! I'm going to be researching wall paper ideas!

Tour de Fleece

I have not been spinning every day for the Tour. There's stuff going on around here, and it's keeping me from focusing on my favorite hobbies (no worries, it's all good stuff. I'll share later this week).

However, I did wind off a cop this morning. Here's what I have:

I knew I wouldn't being spinning every day, but I did think I would find more time than I have so far. My goal is to spin up the entire 9 oz. ball of fiber. Hopefully, that will actually happen.

We had a wonderful week at my parents' house. I totally relaxed, took naps under the windchimes, and leisurely walks around the neighborhood. The kids played with all the other neighborhood kids, and everyone was happy. I should be stressing about the lack of knitting, but I'm just not.

I hope to get back to regular blogging, but right now, I'm not committing to anything.