Life

We've had a busy week!  J is now walking most of the time and a busier baby I've never encountered.  We've had 3 one year olds in this house and never have I had a child so into everything!  Nothing is safe.  He loves to dump out trash cans,  mess with recycling, get into every cupboard there is, smack the television, hit and touch and teeth on everything in sight.  Forget cleaning when he is awake - he likes to walk straight into my dust pile and sit down right in the middle! He used to sleep nicely in our bed, even for nap times, but now I am having to rethink that as he can climb out of the bed, crawl to the door and let himself out!  I'll put him down for a nap and find him a few minutes later happily eating toilet paper straight from the roll in the bathroom.  He is keeping me incredibly busy!

Always on the move these days...naughty boy with a pen!  Eek!  I took it away right after the pic was taken.

The sun has been shining and the snow is nearly gone, leaving the backyard a veritable bog.  Of course it is warm-ish (well, warm to us Midwesterners that is) so the children have been wanting to play outside, and then track in half the backyard on their boots right into the kitchen.  It is times like these that my heart longs for a mud room - and I am extra thankful we don't have a dog!

Always with the coloring...

On the craft front, I have a few things brewing.  I finally finished the Birthday Crowns so they are ready to go, just waiting to don the heads of new people I haven't met yet - F and 3, D at 5 and J at 1.  I'm sure they as just as delightful as the younger versions of themselves .



I stopped at the craft store last night with a friend and this sock yarn caught my eye so of course I had to bring it home and cast on for a lovely squishy warm pair.  I know soon we will all be wearing sandals and the thought of wooly socks will be far from our minds, but I think the person I am making them for will be thankful for them once that cold East Coast wind starts blowin' next fall.  This is my first time using a sock calculator to come up with the pattern.  It really is a lovely idea - you simply plug in your guage and the size foot you are making them for and voila!  Instructions tailored to your exact specifications.  Socks are an incredibly portable knit as well so they are great for taking along to meetings or while riding along in the car.

Just waiting to keep someone's toes warm in a pair of birks!

I'm also hoping to make a few nice A-line skirts for Spring/summer.  I've searched high and low and have yet to find a skirt that is flattering yet modest and easy to wear every day.  I'm on the taller end of things and can't stand when skirts hit above the knee.  My friend has a skirt pattern book so I'm planning on making up a pattern and hopefully putting together a few skirts before the warm weather is here to stay.

I've really been giving a lot of thought to creativity and how the drive to create seems to be woven into each and every person.  Even if you don't consider yourself to be crafty, chances are there is an area where you enjoy creating or inventing.  I feel that nurturing creativity is such an excellent way of learning, with all the built in areas of growth and reward.  It is a natural yet powerful learning tool.  Just some thoughts that have been flitting around in my head lately.

My creative jumble...

I'm off to deal with this:

Pouty, sad little 2 year old...wearing a bathing suit cover up?!?