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nana

I learned to knit + crochet from my Grandma, one rainy day when I was a little girl. (Isn’t that how so many of us learned? A weary adult trying to find a way to entertain us and contain a bit of the boundless energy? I fully admit to teaching my boys just so I could get them to sit down for a few minutes) Now, she’s too arthritic to be able to do any stitching, though she asks me about my projects whenever I see her. I know she probably misses being able to work with yarn, although it wasn’t an all-consuming passion for her like it is for me. I think it was more just something all women her age knew how to do, as much a part of a young Brooklyn girl’s education as knowing how to make gravy and meatballs.

Her birthday is this coming Monday, and I though there was no more appropriate gift than a handmade blanket, born of the craft she passed on to me so long ago. I started this on Saturday night, but had to rip out all but the first row I did that night, because I was distracted watching a movie and did the stitch all wrong. The pattern is the 5 1/2 Hour Throw, modified to work on a slightly smaller hook, with doubled yarn. I’m using Homespun in a plum shade, and Red Heart in a medium pink.Only for her would I suffer through these yarns, because I know she’s neither got the space nor the inclination to handwash a wool blanket. I know she’ll love snuggling up in this, and then being able to toss it in her building’s massive washing machine without worry.

Happy Birthday, grandma!

I’m normally a great sleeper. I fall asleep easily, sleep soundly, and if left undisturbed, will sleep in whenever I can. I adore laying in bed in the morning, in that half-awake/half-asleep state where everything feels sort of dreamy and nothing in the world seems more appealing than the warm covers pulled up under my chin and a cat curled up at my feet.

But every once in a while, I’ll get in this headspace where I just cannot fall asleep. Sure, I’m tired. Sure, I want to sleep. I need to sleep. But the brain just won’t stand for it. Often, these sleepless nights coincide with bursts of creativity, when my mind is brimming with ideas, designs, craft projects I want to work on, things that I need to tinker with on the website, and most recently, my committee work with the Association of Knitwear Designers, Inc. I’ve learned to stop fighting these nights where I’m still awake well after midnight, and now try to embrace them for the rare, quiet moments they provide. Let’s face it, the only time my household is quiet is after midnight!

It’s 12:46 am as I’m writing this, and I’ve spent the past hour working on the design of my new cart (sorry, no preview yet. Soon, I promise!) I’ve sketched out three new designs and will add them to the (large) pile of “To Be Swatched” sketches (surely I’m not the only designer who has a pile like this?!)

I’ve been catching up on blog reading, and have fallen in love with Amanda’s sweet babes’ Bird Calendar. The ideas are whipping around my head for next year’s gifts, already. I’ve been admiring Meg’s Emmeline Apron, and really trying to stop myself from emailing her to pester about when the pattern will be released. I really want one (or ten!) of those aprons. So cute. I’m pretending to ignore Amy’s homemade marshmellows, because, well the holidays are over and I can’t make any more excuses for eating sweets. But I’m counting the days till Valentine’s when I can make them as treats for the boys. The only thing stopping me from busting out the rubber cement and making some seriously adorable bubble mailers right now is the fact that both the bubble wrap and rubber cement are in my craft closet, which is in the room that Rusty is asleep in and the door squeeks which will wake him up.

So, what do YOU do when you can’t sleep?

Today is my birthday. My 30th Birthday. For the past several weeks, everyone around me has been making a big to-do, talking about how this is the end of my youth and I’m now most certainly “old.” I usually stare them down for a few moments, then let my eyes wander to the wee boys who are usually running circles around us and finally, erupt in fits of laughter.

Old? OLD?! Dude, I’ve got 4 (4!!!) kids. Boys. I already am OLD.

How is it that your children can simultaneously make you feel so very old and so very youthful at the same time? It’s one of the myriad gifts of parenting; when I’m feeling down and dreary, a quick game of tag with my boys envigorates me and reminds me that there’s plenty of life left in these bones. But one roll of my 7 year old’s eyes, and wham! I feel like I’m the crustiest old broad, so completely out of touch with the youngun’s.

Of course, having 4 kids really turned me into a grown-up far faster than some arbitrary age ever could. Being MaMa to these fantastically interesting boys has taught me to meet their needs (without sacrificing my own)…to love unconditionally (and from a place in my heart I didn’t even know existed)…to prioritize (and let go of the unneccessary ideas and ideals that hold me down)… and to multitask better than anyone I know.

Can you guess how many things I am doing in this picture? We’re at the park, so I’m making sure three insane boys are not hurting themselves (or any other unfortunate kids who get in their paths). It’s morning, so I’m drinking coffee. I’ve got the bub in the sling, so naturally I’m nursing (yes, after 4 kids, you get that good at nursing discreetly) And, of course, I’m knitting. Because without the knitting, I would be too crazy and far gone to be able to do any of the other things.

Today, I’m off to IKEA to spend some quality time looking for bathroom accoutrement for our soon-to-start renovations. I figure the birthday has got to give me some good juju and I’ll find exactly what I need.

After all, you only turn 30 once.

C says that I have too many bags. I say that a girl can never have too many bags. There’s the cute little evening bags (let’s ignore that fact that I can’t even recall the last time I went anywhere that an evening bag would even be questionably appropriate) There’s the little something bags, just big enough to hold my favorite Aveda Lip Glaze (Color #261: tangerine tea), my keys, and the wallet I’m currently lusting after (The cute olive floral one in the pic)

But, since I generally have at least two kids with me at all times, one of which is in diapers (cloth, naturally) and the other who likes to toss assorted sundries like toys, food, sippy cups and shoes in my bag, those little something bags don’t cut it.

Thus, the bulk of my bag stash is of the large variety. Totes, backpacks, messenger bags, a few Kecchi’s, and one well-loved (and thrifted!) Petunia Picklebottom – these are the bags I turn to over and over. And now, I’ve got another that I am aching to add to the stash.

sigh Isn’t it lovely? Naturally, I’ll be reverse-engineering the pattern since, #1: I can never manage to follow a pattern, and #2: there’s no way (NO WAY!) I’ll be using the 19 hanks of Ultra Alpaca the original calls for (and I doubt very much that I’ll be double stranding, which I’m guessing the original must do to eat that much yardage) Do you know how much 19 hanks of that yarn costs?!??! This is a diaper bag, people!

I think I’ll play around with my trusty felting standby, Classic Merino. I’ve been perusing some of my treasuries for a few eye-catching peeries, but I’m considering just using Paton’s Soy Wool Stripes, too (hey, will be much easier that way – instant color fun without the fuss)

Now to just decide the best way to break it to C that I am adding yet another bag to the stash…

that I am a woefully inept blogger. Yes, it’s been several months since my last blog post. It’s not due to lack of good intentions. The road to my blog is paved with good intentions. I’ve got entire posts all thought out, planned down to the punctuation marks – in my head. It’s the getting them on the page (er, is it considered a page if it’s a virtual journal?) I’m not even going to bother waxing poetic about how I’m going to be better, blog more, and take more pictures. We both know that’s not likely to happen with any sort of regular frequency. So, let’s move on, shall we…

Spring is slowly arriving here in soggy Pennsylvania. The weather is warming up, I’ve pulled out the Crocs that I got for Christmas.
Oh, how I love these shoes. Comfy, cute, kicky. They make me smile when I catch a glimpse of them on my feet.

Spring’s creeping arrival has also brought about my yearning to craft some cute warm-weather wear. Naturally since I don’t have any wee girlies to dress, I’m furtively working on (you guessed it!) Girls’ Dresses. The Perfect Summer Dress, to be precise.

That’s Marnie’s sweet girl in a dress I made last year. I am working on the finishing touches to the pattern, so it’ll be available soon. (Not soon enough for an Easter dress, but definitely for Cinco de Mayo)

It’s fun for me to get to play with girlie things like this, since I’m (as C puts it) an island in a sea of testosterone.

Lately, I have felt like the sea is battering down on my island beaches, and I desperately need some serious girl pampering to recover. Next week is my 30th birthday, and I’ll (finally) be using last year’s birthday gift – a day of spa pampering at Adolf Biecker, getting an Aveda facial, a swedish massage, and a mani/pedi. I feel spoiled.

1. FIRST NAME? Theresa
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Yep, St. Theresa of Avila
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? uh, this morning – around 5am when I got up to get a diaper to change the wee babe and stubbed my toe on the bed
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? i never really thought about it, but yeah, I guess so
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Corned beef (with swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and russian dressing – aka a reuben)
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes
7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? This blog is my pitiful attempt at one
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No way, no how.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? is oatmeal considered a cereal?
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? no
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? mentally, yes. physically, not so much.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? edy’s special edition pumpkin pie
14. SHOE SIZE? 7.5
15. RED OR PINK? barn red
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I’m moody and can be quite bitchy to those I love
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? my friend kevin. he’s not dead (thank goodness!0 but he lives far away and we never talk as often as I’d like
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? No
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Grey yoga pants, white nursing tank, burgundy zip hoodie, handknit socks.
20. LAST THING YOU ATE? a kit kat I swiped from the boys’ Halloween stash.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? rusty’s sleepy breathing on my neck, college football that DH is watching, with background noise from th eboys playing on the computer upstairs
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? red
23. FAVORITE SMELL? My newborn’s head when he’s asleep on my chest
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? a very sweet Indian man who is a customer service tech for Cisco
25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Their eyes
26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON you stole THIS from? Absolutely
27. FAVORITE DRINK? alcoholic? A Tom Collins. Non-alcoholic? Sweet tea.
28. FAVORITE SPORT? can knitting be considered a sport?
29. EYE COLOR? greenish gold
30. HAT SIZE? huh? hats come in sizes?
31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yes
32. FAVORITE FOOD? fresh baked bread with butter
33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings
35. SUMMER OR WINTER? winter
36. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs
37. FAVORITE DESSERT? pecan pie
38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? I’m calling out Melissa H.
39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Everyone
40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Survival Guide from a Family of Nine, Theodore Rex and Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven (well, I’mlistening to that last one, does that count?)
41. WHAT’S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? No mouse pad – it’s a laptop
42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? Star Wars Episode II: Attach of hte Clones on DVD
43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? the sound of my boy’s breathign while they sleep, Dh saying he loves me while I’m half asleep in bed before he leaves in the morning
44. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles
45. THE FURTHEST YOU’VE BEEN FROM HOME? California
46. WHAT’S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? surviving as the only female in a house with 5 guys
47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? New York
48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I pinched it from Steph

or maybe just erase it completely from the calendar? (Warning: postpartum hormone filled whiney-ness is about to ensue. Proceed at your own risk)

As if it’s not bad enough that my second-to-youngest is waking up before the crack of dawn (yes, that’s really early, folks) But there’s nothing like checking email first thing (while aforementioned child insists on watching Barney. Purple dinosaurs should be forbidden before 8 am and at least 2 cups of coffee) Anyway, back to the email – checking email and finding out that some nasty hacker has set up a phishing scam on your website. Your business website. And the person who alerted you to this fact has also alerted your local police. Now there’s a wake up call you want to get (seriously, NOT)

So, come to find out that it’s likely a security breech with either my forums or my shopping cart (both of which need to be upgraded and checked over to ensure that the security is fixed now) My host is a gem – Be hosting, and I want to send Erica some flowers for getting rid of the phishing crud from the site approximately 34 seconds after I emailed her. She rocks, seriously.

So, I spend a good portion of the morning (while nursing at the lapop, naturally) trying to get the forums updated and security-checked, when I realize that the only way really to do it is to do a clean install of the forums. Which means I lose all the posts, members, everything.

Can you see me now?

So, it’s now exactly 5:16 pm, and I just poured myself a glass of merlot. I am going to forget today ever happened, drink my glass of wine, and watch Star Wars with my boys tonight. Tomorrow, back to work. Onward…

Turn and face the change.

(I’ve had the Shrek version of this song in my head all day long. God help me)

Changes are afoot aplenty for me these days – new babe, new blog, new sneakers.

First, the babe – Rusty was born Oct 3, 6 weeks early. He weighed in a 5 pounds 11 ounces, and was in NICU for a week. We’re all home now, lovin’ up on the wee pumpkin, and he is the most incredibly sweet and placid baby. The only time he makes noise is in the dead of night when the rest of the house is (finally) quiet, and I’m convinced it’s because he doesn’t like the silence. He’s already revelling in the chaos that is made by his three older brothers.

Next, new blog. I’ve given up on ever getting the spam in the comments under control with b2evo, so as much as I love the ease of it and the layout I had worked on forever, I just had to change to blogger. I’m hopeful that the 800+ “new comment” messages that I get in my inbox every day (all for spam comments) will be abated by the nifty moderation here with blogger. I will eventually move the old archives over from b2evo, but honestly folks, let’s not hold out breath for that to happen. Remember the first change I wrote about above? Yeah, he’s not too keen on allowing mama unfettered computer time.

Last, new sneakers. this is actually a change-in-progress. My beloved cross trainers have finally bit the dust and the soles are literally falling off, so I’m ont he hunt for some spiffy new footwear. I’m thinking maybe some of these:

or maybe these stripey ones:

Both found at my fave online shoe shop

But now, I must go nurse a babe. again.