A toddling kid

And he's off and running.  Benjamin is officially a toddler.  At day care, he's now in the toddler room.  He drinks from a sippy cup, walks nonstop, and is beyond adorable.  But I still think of him as The Baby.

His day care is staffed with lots of lovely ladies from someplace south of the border, and he's learning a bit of Spanish as he goes along.  If you ask him if he wants water, he says "agua".  Bilingual child.  He knows both words.  Needless to say, he's a genius.  All grandchildren are brilliant.  Goes with the territory.

This is the Greco-Roman style of diaper changing.  He wants to go, not get changed, and the only way you can hold him down is to drop your leg over him.  He protests mightily.  So it goes.

They are all back home now, and my house is so quiet and orderly.  No toys all over the place, no Miss P swiping my Kindle and my chewing gum.  No parental units to chat with.  It was lovely, and I miss them very much.  Good thing elder DD lives nearby.  Yay, elder DD.

So what to do now?

My cute little quilt in progress.  Look, Ma, some of my points really match!  Hah!  Thank goodness for bias, 'cause it lets me fudge.

A Challenge

A faithful and wonderful reader wondered why no picture of Baby Ben and his big sister.  I surely don't want to disappoint her, so here it is.  Taken about 3.5 weeks ago, so he's bigger.  She's still the same.  10.5 year olds don't change weekly.  ;-)

She schleps him around like he's a little bundle, and he is.  It's fun to watch the family at dinner time if he's awake and fretting.  It's called "Pass the Baby."

Done!

Done!

Miss P's crochet afghan.  This started out as a blankie for Mister, but then Pen told me that her room was going to be in green, red, purple, and white.  So, naturally she's getting this.  The thing weighs a ton!  Gotta mail it out to her.

In progress:  One baby quilt.  I started hand quilting it yesterday.  I'm going through flannel as the backing, and it's hard on my hands!!!!  So, big stitches, but I like the way those stitches play off the quilt design.  Kind of wonky and  free.  That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.  It's awfully hard to get the needle to catch that heavy flannel.  I'm doing this freehand, not marking the quilt at all.  It adds to the general goofiness.

And one baby sweater.  As you can see, I've started a sleeve.  I do these things on 2 circs; it's so much easier than trying to manage with dpns.  This is how I make sleeves:  pick up and knit stitches, top down, no seams.

As you can also see, the sweater needs finishing, but it will be cute.  I need to find 3 buttons.  Size?  I have no idea; at some point it will fit the baby.

Shanah Tovah to you and your family!

Or Shana Tova, which ever way you want to spell it.  For non-Jews, a good year to you and yours, also.

Busy, busy.  Gotta make the tejes kolacs, the chicken for tonight, neato meatloaf on a bed of potatoes for tomorrow after synagogue.   Pay bills.  ick, boring.  Stuff.

Sister and niece coming this afternoon.  Elder DD joining us tomorrow.

Totally off topic, but then I've never stayed on topic:  here's what Miss P gave her mom for her birthday.  A spa visit!  Now, you may ask yourselves, how does a 9 year old manage that?  She gave her mom a spa visit at home.  Bubble bath, cucumbers on eyes, foot massage and back massage.  How sweet is that?  What a kid!

Gotta run.  Gotta bake.  Thank goodness, a colleague of the Hubs gave him a challah, so I don't need to bake that.

scrapperjen - She really is a wonderful child.  Very caring, very kind.  And her eyes always dance with mischief and fun.  All the grands are wonderful, each in his/her own way.  She received the latest set of doll clothes and especially loved the ones that I'm most fond of.  Whadda kid!

Scrabblequeen - She is that.  More energy that the other 4 put together, and the brain is constantly going.  

My mom.

I had lunch with my mom today.  She's so old, almost 97, and fragile, and tiny and frail, and I'm sitting here typing this with tears running down my face because I miss the Mommie of old.  I would so love to have last year's Mommie.  She's gone way downhill in the last few months.  Still in good spirits and eats well (if the folks cut up her food, which they do), and certainly knows who I am, who the Hubs is, and who Penny is.  She knows my sister and our kids, but The Hubs, Miss P and I are the ones who seem to most resonate with her.  Funny how that is.  She's clearly got a connection to her 9 year old granddaughter.  And I give Pen full credit for that.  That child is so sweet and kind and gentle with old folks.  She's a marvel.  Could be because she has ancient great grandparents.  On her dad's side, she has her great grandma and Leonard, who is about 102.  and on my side she has my mom.  But little kids are often impatient with or don't uncomfortable with elderly folks.  Not this kid.

But I do miss my mom of last year.  Of last winter.  And I wonder how long she'll be with us.  The beauty of blogland is that I can write this, where I would not cry in front of friends or relatives.  I rarely cry.  But because you are all anonymous, I can let go here.  Funny thing, no?  I don't have to do the tower of strength thing here.  If we passed each other on the street, you wouldn't know who I am.

The sweetest thing my mom says to me with every visit, well, when she's awake, is "I love you."  I'm so fortunate to have her. '

Scrabblequeen - That's my relationship with my mom, too.  I've fought with her from 13 to forever, and I've never won an argument.  Ever. She used to tell me that the day I won a battle with her, she's be in her grave.  How I would dearly love to have an argument with her now.  Still, to have your mother for 67 years is wonderful, and I'll take what I have.

Grace - I was at the doctor's today with a UTI, and I just had to talk to him about my mom.  He's also her doctor, and he really understands her issues.  He told me that 2 things would get her:  an infection, or she would stop eating.  She's still eating, but is so frail that any infection would probably do her in.  He was so kind and understanding.  He's not a geriatrician; she's his oldest patient, but he knows old people.  Great guy, indeed.

The Yarnarian Surfaces Again.

We had the most wonderful 4 days! Miss P, that effervescent and ebullient 7 year old grand, stayed with us while her folks stayed at a local motel. They had a bit of time alone together, and we had all the fun of a 7 year old kid. She is so grown up this Passover. You should have heard her reading her turn from the Haggadah. And we played games, and she commandeered my American Girl dolls, and we cooked and had a grand time. She is a master matzo ball maker! I bet she could have done the entire shaping all alone. And polite! Lots of "yes, please" and "no, thank you". I suspect she was on her best behavior, but who cares. We had such fun and I miss her already.

We went back to a very traditional seder this year. Elder DD ventured forth into West Side Judaica in the city, and bought a bunch of haggadot with English, Hebrew, and transliteration. We figured that the non-Jews at our seder were already comfortable with the service and were ready for the big time, and they were. We even got everyone to do the blessings over the wine in Hebrew, and even some of the songs. Such fun, and the next day I felt like a truck had run over me. giggle.



I have 3 American Girl dolls and a Target knock-off. Miss P brought one of hers with her and had the best time arranging dolls and furniture and changing outfits. She loves to arrange, and every day, we had a new configuration.



Knitting? What? Are you kidding? Hah! It was a nice break though and I'm now happily working on a few projects. Pics maybe tomorrow because as usual, I frogged one of the projects. I frog, therefore I am. rippit, rippit.

Dyeing? Snort, laugh, giggle, snort some more. Folks, I was up to my eyeballs in grandchild doting and seder preparation. And to tell the truth, it was a nice break and I'm starting to get my dyeing mojo back.

Kitten With a Whiplash - yep, it was pretty nice, and now the house is too quiet!

itsJUSTme-wendy - It's even better than having your own kids. tee hee.

baby face - All of our kids are intermarried and all to Catholic people. Miss P identifies herself as being both religions, and is in love with both traditions. So we spent a good time practicing singing Ehad me yodea, which she happily sang at the top of her lungs.

Grace - It was great having the family around, but I really missed my sister and her kids. Ah well, there's always next year. Now, if I could just get the mess cleaned up.....

The Yarnarian and the Hubbo Wear Out the 6 Year-Old!

Hah! Of course we also wore out ourselves, but hey, we're not 6 anymore. We were also not in Kansas any more. Not that we've ever been to Kansas, but it works better than "we're not in New Jersey any more", if you know what I mean.

We flew out to MN on Fri and came home yesterday. Miss P turned 6 on the 24th, so we were out for her annual family birthday party (Sunday) and our annual Mall of America birthday treat. She picked out some toys (all inexpensive, bless her), had lunch, went on a number of rides all by herself, had cotton candy. Then we went back to our motel, and she got to swim in the indoor pool. And then to IHOP for a pancake supper. By the time we got her home, she had run out of energy. This kid has enough energy to power a city. She hops, skips, jumps, runs, never, ever stops! And giggles and is delicious and a true pain in the butt, which makes her a perfect 6 year old. I miss her like crazy already.

Sunday we gathered at the family home for some serious moving packing and humping. The entire clan of my SIL were there, and we love these folks, so we had a great time working our little tushies off. But we accomplished a ton of moving, so that when they have to be out of their house, it will all be accomplished. Then they have a week in between houses, and then they move to their new one. The new house is in an incredible area, within walking distance to a super duper elegant shopping street replete with post office, drugstore, a Lund's (great supermarket), wonderful restaurants, and stores that reek "posh"! And a movie theater and a wonderful playground and the best high school in the city. The downside? I can no longer take light rail to get to her house. Taxi is the way to go. Hey, you can't have everything!

So we were really exhausted Sunday night. And yesterday we traveled and you know how I hate travel, but this morning, after writing this, I'm going to the gym! Did you read that? GYM! Maybe I can establish the habit again.

Knitting News: Here's all the knitting I did, 99% on the plane. No time or energy to do any more on the sock. The really crummy pic shows the little twist st cable; it looks so much better in real life.




Carolynh - yep, those leafy green socks yet again. The thing is that I didn't realize that these socks were going to look so much like the leafy ones. The little twist stitch cable makes a great difference. I like this little cable so much that you know you're going to see it a lot!

The Reskein Queen, aka Wonder Yarnarian!

That's me. I reskeined 6 skeins today. Which doesn't sound like much, but is in fact a bit of time consumed.

At the same time, I listened to a CD of Loreena McKennitt. And, because reskeining is not exactly the most exciting thing on the face of the earth, I danced to the music.
And that's why I'm Wonder Yarnarian! Listening to music, dancing, reskeining all at the same time. Multitasker Woman! Aerobics, culture, and yarn all together. And periodically pausing to imbibe some tea. 'Twas a brillig morning. And I knitted in the afternoon.

Results of the reskeining are final names for the yarns which I cannot show you because of that bloody computer/camera issue. (Complain, grouse.) Here are the names; you get to guess the colors:

1. Cinderella
2. Breeze
3. Peach sherbet
4. Miss P.
5. Mystery one for sock club. I love this one to death. And it's mine!
6. Pebbles and sand

I got a phone call from Miss P. today. She got her fancy soap in the mail, the one shaped like a waffle with syrup and 2 pats of butter on top. She was tickled pink over it, and told me that it even smelled like waffles with syrup. That's one cute little kid. We decided that she would write me a letter (probably a couple of lines), and enclose a picture (she tells me that she knows how to frame it), and I would write her back. She's caught on to reading, and now is leaping forward with it.

Tomorrow is the Benster's 2nd birthday party. We'll probably be put to work dealing with the food, etc. I think they are going to have a crowd, so we are ready to help any way we can. The Benster is madly in love with trains, and especially Thomas the Engine trains. We should have a grand time.

Shameless commerce news: My sock club is sold out!!! I set a top limit of 12, and 14 signed up. Wow! I know what I'm going to do with the first two yarns, and I have a good idea for the last one. The first sock is designed and I'm almost done with the foot. I like it: it's easy but does take a bit of attention, has a couple of patterns. In short, you won't get bored knitting it, but neither will you pull out your hair in despair.

Sunrise: 7:22 am
Sunset: 4:43 pm