Enchanted Mama

A challenge::

It started last year...January 1, 2012.  My oldest girlie decided that she wanted to read 100 books for the year.  She missed it by seven books.  She was so close that she wanted to try again this year.  

On December 31st, 2012 at dinner my girl sat with pen and paper and planned her next year of reading.  Her set of self-imposed rules.  #1 Books must be new, as in never read before.  #2 If you have started a book you can not be more than one chapter into it or it doesn't count.  #3 Do school books count or not? That was her achilles heel last year.  She read so many for school but refused to count them towards her total.  Claiming that she only wanted to count books she actually wanted to read.  She would have well surpassed her goal if she had used them.  But, like I said, her rules man.  

As I sat listening to her I realized that I had read an abysmal amount of books in 2012.  My reading time now effectively taken up by my knitting time.  Sad but true.  So, I did what any reasonable, crazy mama would do and signed on.  

Our goal is 100 books each for the year.  My oldest boy decided that he wanted in on the action and set his goal for 50 books.  The big daddy thought it a brilliant idea and set his goal at 50 books as well.

Together that will be 300 books.  My daughter and I have long-term plans for this.  When there are more readers in the house the potential is great.  In fact, numbers like a thousand books for the year, "even when she's gone to college", were mentioned.  Optimistic perhaps?

So the lists have been posted.  Side by side on the wall downstairs.  Not that we are competing at all.  Of course we aren't!  Not really.  Though, I do need to go read and read since my girlie just posted her second book and let's face it...I'm not one to be beat by a thirteen year old.

Any books you recommend?  I'd love to know... 

 

 

Over the Rainbow::

Even though my guy asked me, for a year, for a rainbow sweater I can't say he was over the moon about this one.  He smiled slightly when opening it on his birthday...though not as broad a smile as when he opened his elephant or the puzzle.  

That's okay I suppose.  It is the risk we take as knitters.  Never quite knowing if the recipient will love or not love the item.  Whether it will fit or whether you have to re-do the neck three times like I did.  

It's a gamble.  One I'm usually willing to take.  Although with this recent sweater, the "Rainbow Sweater", I may have started to think differently.  First of all I finished on time.  No late night, before the birthday knitting like some other years.  In fact, this sweater had time to block as well as dry!  

The moment that changed me came after he opened it.  Yes, I was disappointed not to have received the full chandelier smile for a job well done on the long awaited rainbow sweater.  Of course, I would have loved that.  It really wasn't when the big daddy had to convince him to look at the sweater for longer than two seconds.  The moment happened when we went to have him try it on.  You knitters out there, I know, can see this coming a mile away.  We put it over his head and wait!...It didn't even come close to making it over his head.  NOT.EVEN.CLOSE.

Deep breathing at that point wasn't really helping.  After weeks of gleefully planning and scheming and knitting this was NOT what I had expected to have happen.  I believe I took the sweater gently from his aching head, as I will admit that I did tug a bit thinking that somehow this couldn't, shouldn't be happening, and set it on the table behind me.  A small time out for the sweater.  

A week later after feeling sick to my stomach about what to do I just buckled down and did it.  I ripped it out. The whole neck. Then commenced on a different type of neck and voila...it fit!  Well almost.  It's not as roomy as I would like.  I've decided though that seeing it on him finally made me ignore that little fact.  

So, that's it.  The rainbow sweater.  The good and bad of it.  Though at this point I can almost forgive the sweater when I see my little guy swinging in the front yard, rainbow flying in the air.  

I've decided that there will be no more secret knitting...at least that is what I say now.  Time will tell.  I'm serious though.  I'm pretty sure....

Ravelry notes here. 

His day::

His day...was sweet. simple. The morning filled with fresh baked lemon zucchini muffins and a few gifts.  The afternoon held a small little "woodland" party for him.  Since his sister and brother had gnome and faerie parties years back it seemed only right that my five year old have a woodland animal gathering.  He loves animals. Loves being outside. My child who seems so at home in nature and is a master grasshopper catcher.  

The couple of friends he invited to his party were quiet and oh-so-agreeable.  They were happy to sew little capes and don acorn caps for their dolls. Play games. Eat snacks, especially the squirrel snack of nuts and berries.  They adored the cupcakes and were found outside in the yard playing when their parents came to fetch them.  It may have been one of the simplest parties we've given.  

They went home with a bulb to plant and a wee bear and notebook.  All were happy.  

My birthday boy spent time at the park biking his next favorite thing to do after catching grasshoppers. We ended the evening with a delicious-daddy-made cake with chocolate mushrooms.  A good day. 

Now my boy is five and it seems as though it were just the other day he was bundled up in my arms.  Oh how time does keep moving.  

 

The starting line::

I've started a race...in case you didn't know it.  Yes, if you were here you would see me panting a bit and occasionally wiping my brow.  Water is laid out nearby and all calls are being held.  

This is a picture of a sweater.  A sweater you say?  But it's only a few rows of knitting.  Yes, that may be true.  Well, that's totally true.  Hence the race.  

My boy, who has been asking for a rainbow sweater for over a year, has his birthday at the beginning of October.  Since the stripey guy debacle I thought it high time he have one.  Nothing like planning ahead I say.  

A delightful trip to a local yarn shop with my two dear friends last week resulted in a rainbow of colors inside my bag.  I'm making the sweater up as I go.  It shouldn't be too hard since it just needs to include a few colors--"rainbow-like" and a lovely gray to tone it down from "clown-like".  

This is what I've been knitting.  Other projects soooo close to being done have been dropped momentarily.  I mean really how long does a guy have to ask his mama, a knitter, to make him a rainbow sweater??!!!??  

Apparently that would be about...one year.

On your mark, get set, GO!!! 

 

Any races of your own?

 

 

Expectations::

You know how sometimes you work towards a project and when finished your expectations far exceed what you ever thought they could be?  Then sometimes you have high hopes for a creative idea and then your expectations fall flat on their ever-loving-face? 

Well...this is Mr. Stripey guy.  The name I dubbed this sweater when I started it in September 2010.  It was a blur of inspiration.  A simple sweater design with the intention of using all the bits and bobs of yarn in my stash.  I thought by using one color that it would work.  As in be brilliant.  Um.

There were four baskets gleefully filled with small skeins of yarn in four colors.  One basket held the purples for my oldest girlie.  Another basket held greens for my oldest boy.  Another full of blues of every shade.  The last pinks and reds for my littlest one.  Yes, I thought it was the best idea I'd had for awhile.  In fact, I wrote about it here even though I think I wasn't sure about it then either.   

The farther along I knit my smug smile began to fade.  Maybe, just maybe this would look great.  Or it could look really, really bad.  You know the kind of bad that you hope you never have to wear?  The kind of bad that they write songs about.  The kind of bad that might be referred to as "lovingly made at home".  

All that is right here.  I realized once the body and one sleeve were done that something wasn't right about it.  No matter that it was meant for my two year old who is now almost five.  Realistically, he could get away with a sweater like this but should he?  I ask you.  

The other baskets sat untouched.  The wind blown out of my proverbial sails.  The blue version above sat and sat in that sad little basket.  A spider moved in and made himself an elaborate home before I decided to pull it out this past weekend, while stash busting, and access the damage.  With two inches of one sleeve to finish I figured it would be more work to take it apart than to finish it.  

The sweater is too small for my boy now, thankfully.  Mr. Bear, well he wasn't so lucky, or fast.  I held the sweater up in his general direction.  Guessed that he always wanted a sweater of his very own and bam...bear bundled in a sweater and ready for winter.  

My expectations shifted long ago.  I love that Mr. Bear seems happy.  He saw a lot of play action today in the house.  Does he look more friendly and approachable because of the sweater?  Let's say,"Yes".  Did I expect it to turn out this way on that day of inspiration so long ago?  no.  

Sometimes, if we're lucky, things really do turn out so much better than we imagined don't you think? 

 

Confession::

 

Camping has never been my favorite thing to do.  In fact, I avoid camping at all costs usually.  

I do have my reasons.  Since my honey and I have been married we have camped in temperatures below twenty degrees. We have camped in torrential rain.  We have camped in fifty mile an hour winds and had to sleep in the car because the tent kept blowing over.  We have camped at over ten thousand feet elevation and I spent the night with heart palpitations.  We have camped on an air mattress that popped at two o'clock a.m.  So you see why I might avoid the whole adventure no matter what.  

I love the "day" part of camping though.  The hiking through forests and star gazing.  The being in nature and sitting by the river or better yet on rocks in the middle of a river.  Roasting marshmallows for smores and telling stories by the campfire. Watching my children explore outside.  All that is great.   

So, having said all this you may wonder at my next admission.  We went camping this past weekend and I had a fabulous time!  Can you believe it?  I can't.  I also can't believe that I was the one who suggested we go.  While my oldest girlie is at sleep away camp for the first time, eeeekkk, it just seemed like the right thing to do for "the boys".  

Friday morning over lattes, we decided to go.  We were packed and off in the next hour and a half.  We had divine order in finding the BEST spot.  At the end of a loop right near the river.  As though it were just waiting for us.  Lots of room for the boys to run, throw balls, ride bikes and just be their exuberant selves.  

The sleeping divine.  The food creative. The weather perfection.  Nature gorgeous.  And, really the only thing I can think is wow.  I can't believe it.  

My four year old found some discarded fishing line along the river and proceeded to attach it to a long stick.  He sat for hours in the middle of the river "fishing for tuna".  Didn't have the heart to tell him that tuna may be hard to come by in these parts.  nope.  Instead I nodded and smiled when he told me that he wouldn't catch the baby fish because that would be mean.  But, when he did catch his tuna or rainbow fish that he would let the big daddy cook it up for dinner, thank goodness.  

 I sat knitting on a boulder in the middle of the river soaking it all in.  The river my new solace.  Camping rapidly redeeming itself.  

The big daddy said something interesting that I've been wondering about since.  On the last morning after packing up all the small things I went down to the river with the children.  He stayed to pack up the tent and shade.  He said, "That it doesn't take as long to take/tear down camp as it does to build it".  

As I watched the children play and immerse themselves in nature I pondered this statement.  That applies to life doesn't it?  It takes no time at all to tear something down and a lot of time to build it up.  So there...in nature you have epiphanies too.  And, lessons to live by.  

I do believe we will be camping again soon.  

Amazing.  

 

It was messy::

Some of you may need to brace yourself for the whole of this post.  Others may need to avert your eyes as it's going to get quite messy from here on out.  

It's summer right?  It's supposed to be fun?  There's the list we started and all.  

The list is responsible for this next little piece.  I believe I could blame the list, only I did help make the list, so I'm sure that reasoning won't hold much water if you know what I mean.

It began in a simple way.  The big daddy received a pasta maker for his birthday in June.  He's been experimenting on us.  Filling us with all types of different shaped delicious pasta.  Thank goodness it's healthy right?  

 

Our adventure started out like this.  

Very civilized.  Plates and everything.  A lovely salad filled with all things farmer's market.  All of us seated outside.  The children kept bee-lining for the silverware drawer because "someone" had forgotten the silverware.  The oldest was tipped off to our evil plan when we asked everyone to throw on a swim suit before dinner.  Because lets face it who wants to try and get this mess about to happen out of clothing?  I don't!  

Suits doned we began.  Giggles happened as the big daddy served plates of homemade pasta and meatballs with his hands.  They looked around at me with questioning looks like "um, mommy did you see what daddy just did".  I stifled a giggle.  Four inquiring eyes widened as he did it again.  They hadn't imagined it.  

The children stared at both of us with their plates in front of them.  "Enjoy!" we said in stereo.   

Jaws dropped. 

 

It took them a little while to really dig in.  They kept tentatively scooping pasta up looking in our direction like we must be joking.  Secret smiles exchanged across the table to one another.  

Our goal for the meal other than "no utensils, just for fun, the messiest meal we could think of" was to have no "no's" at the table.  No "no's".  This was a challenge for me it seems.  It was on the tip of my tongue a few more times than I would like to admit.  But, I did it.  You know what?  They soaked it up.  

Then, when they realized we were in fact serious about this whole thing well...

 

...then they really got going.  Yes, this will scare many of you I'm sure.  It may have scared me when posting these pictures if I hadn't heard the echo of their laughter that night.  Amazing.  

How simple.  How fun. What a mess.  But, in the end...we will always remember that night.  

 

The suits?  Well, that was for the wash up afterwards.  Thank goodness it was a warm day.  Seriously, when they had finished with rubbing sauce on themselves, their hair, and one another it REQUIRED a large sponge, a bowl of soapy water and the hose!  

More giggles and wild screams.  More "did you see when I wrapped that pasta around my head?"  Or "did you see his legs with the sauce rubbed all over them?"  

Good stuff I tell you.  

Now, in no way am I saying you should do this.  It's not for the faint of heart.  It did require some serious hose spraying of the porch, and a few of the suits might very well be stained forever.  

But, I haven't laughed that hard for awhile.  They can't stop talking about it.  In the end, the mess is cleaned up and we all have the memory to tuck into our Summer Fun 2012 and that's pretty worth it in my book.  

You?  

 

 

 

Summer Fun::

As summer approached this year I thought it might be fun to try something new.

This year we would decide on a few FUN things that we all wanted to do.  From the smallest to the tallest.  Our list began to form and as we warmed up to the idea we became quite excited.  

Our Summer Fun 2012 list formed.  

In the past week we have knocked a few of these off the list already.  I'll tell you about them soon.

Today, I thought I might share our list in hopes that maybe you and your family would like to make a list of your own.  

It's fun I promise.  

 

Summer Fun 2012::

family art night

water sponge fight

*1,000 pc. puzzle*  done

write a circular story

water balloon baseball

*make sun tea* done

*popsicles* done

*bumper boats*  done

*water party*  done

finger paint with hands and feet

*star gazing on blankets*  done 

*eating a meal with no utensils*   done

family game night

*gratitude postcards*  done

*watermelon seed spitting contest*  done

*harvest our tomatoes*  done

*decorate bikes for 4th of july and have a parade*  done

blind-folded eating contest

*water park* done 

*chronicle the summer as a family* done

*hike up a mountain* done

*picnic at the park*  done

*hand-crank ice cream*  done

*camp with smores*  done

scavenger hunt

decorate t-shirts

solar yarn dyeing

*banana splits*  done

 

Yes, it's optimistic.  Yes, there's alot of eating going on.  Yes, we are up for the challenge.  

Yes, it's MOST definitely going to be FUN trying.  

 

What about you?  

 

 

 

Around here::

Yesterday was a busy one.  

One where you run as soon as your feet hit the ground.  I wasn't rested.  Neither was the big daddy.  We attended to our littlest ALL NIGHT LONG.  

She's not sick, well maybe a small cold nothing more.  She was fed.  Changed.  Read to.  I wonder if there is such a thing as baby insomnia because that may be what she was afflicted with last night.

 Around 2:30 a.m. she was fed again...banana to the rescue.  Finally about 4:45 a.m. she fell asleep.  My other children up and ready for action around 6:30 a.m..  The whole "it's light at six o'clock" doesn't help.  

Tired? yes.    

Plus, I've been attempting to "BE" a morning person.  Not working for me a self proclaimed night owl.  A workout at 6:00 a.m. just isn't getting more fun the more I do it.  I thought you were supposed to feel more rested when you exercise!!???! right?  

It's about forming new habits, I suppose, and those are never very fun. It gets easier? Yes? Say, yes.  

I literally stumbled from bed toward a latte.  The likes of which I hoped would have miraculous qualities.  After the second latte...yes two is what it took.  I felt better.  If not a bit jumpy.  So, I put it to good use and finished flip flopping my children's rooms.  Two were already moved, mostly.

The big daddy carried the tools and moved the heavy things while I cleared shelves, bedding, toys, etc. etc. etc.  

By 5:00 we were finished.  Or rather we were done for the day.  Two more children in their new spaces.  The two of us on the couch sipping Kombucha.  Legs elevated.  Wondering when the dinner fairy would arrive to make a scrumptious meal.  

She never came!

 

Typically, around here, I don't attempt to completely rip the house apart each day.  Just yesterday.  Which is good.  Exciting.  Exhausting.  Full of adventure.  

I look forward to having a day of writing and laundry today for it will, no doubt, seem easier than yesterday.    

How is your day going?

 

 

It's Official::

Yes.  It's official.  

I've figured out that by simplifying my life I might in fact be making it harder.  

I mean I'm sitting here sewing felt eggs...enough said.  Of course, they are felt eggs that have a secret little pouch inside for treasures so....

The intention was to move away from the plastic egg idea into something warmer and potentially more beneficial for mother earth.  Something we could use again and again.  Something fun and easy.  Easy.

Anyone going to step in here?  What I may need is an intervention.  Someone to pounce on my sewing machine and tell me to "slowly back away from the machine".  Alas, that has yet to happen.

 

And then, to make matters worse I decided on new bags.  

This seemingly innocent bag has been time consuming.  Yet, I continued.  I wanted something smaller to make the smaller gifts and treats seem bigger in the bag, you know.  Sitting next to the machine as we speak are three more bags cut out and ready to sew.  

Simple right?  Next year, it will seem easier/simpler.  At least that is what I say now....

So unless someone makes a move here I'm headed back to the studio to finish those other three bags.  

Yup...I am...I'm going now....I'm walking...I'm walking...  

Well, if you change your mind and have a moment in your day you know where to find me.  

I asked a friend of mine recently (A friend that I will NOT tell you is in the process of making the very same felt eggs) whether she ever felt that her life was harder because she was attempting to make it "more simplified"?  

Her response was...EVERYDAY.  

Anyone else out there?