Votes are in!

Thank you to all sixteen of you that voted for the name of my treadmill. Unfortunately, the voting resulted in a tie.... 8 of you have put your bet on 'Lola' and 8 on 'Milly'. Which still leaves me in the conundrum I started with.

A tie breaker is obviously needed. I'm going to re-open the poll, and whoever is winning after the first 5 votes will win. So if this near and dear to your heart (ha!) I suggest you vote early :)

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the couple photos I've thrown in of my kids taken by the very talented Kathy. I think she did a great job!

Here is a morning giggle for you. Grace loves to make Aidan laugh, and I love watching their relationship grow. There is nothing much better than genuine laughter of children.

We have snow here in Alberta this morning. I hope wherever you are you are staying nice and warm - hopefully in the sunshine!

Meet ???

Here 'she' is:

Things I know:

• It's a 'she'. A treadmill with a masculine burly name would be intimidating (sort of like going to a gym). A treadmill with an approachable 'hey come run on me!' kind of name is MUCH better.


• I thought at first I was going to name the treadmill 'Dash'. Then it arrived and I knew it needed a proper human name.


• Dash therefore has become my user name on the machine. When I ran on it on Tuesday it said 'Welcome Dash'. How nice :)


• Nate finds it comical I named myself Dash given I'm not a sprinter.


• If you are thinking/wondering the same thing, Dash is from The Incredibles. Man that kid can run!

What I don't know:

• Her name. I think it is either Lola or Milly.

I have opened up a voting bar at the top of my blog and will keep it active until this weekend. Please vote! Something that takes up so much space in my front room really deserves a title.

It's Official

Lack of sleep leads one to do crazy things.

I was just prepping dinner and opened the fridge to grab some Salsa when I stopped dead in my tracks. That pink arrow is pointing to an orange canister filled with my prescription. One that does not need to be refrigerated. At some point after lunch, I put it 'away' in the fridge rather than the cupboard. All I could do was laugh at myself.

Since I can't control the amount of sleep I get, does this point towards needing more caffeine or more sugar?

Skor Cinnamon Scones

I set to work shortly after my last post.

Things I learned:

1. A stick of butter is equal to 1/2 C.
2. Skor bits melt & burn on wax paper (I didn't have any parchment paper). Good thing it is a nice day out as all the windows had to be opened for this baking experiment. There was ALOT of smoke.

Result: These are dangerously good. The kind of good that you can't eat just one. They would also be perfect paired with a Chai Latte. The Skor bits are good in them, but I can see how a Cinnamon Chip would be obscenely good.

Only changes I made were the Chips, Marjarine for the butter (we are dairy free over here and use a Lactose Free marjarine for all baking), and milk instead of the cream (Nate can't eat these because of dairy in the Skor bits so there was no point substituting in Soy).

YUM! I highly recommend you bake yourself a batch :)

*I still would love to have Cinnamon Chips as mentioned in my previous post. Perhaps even a swap for Chips we have up here that you don't in the US? E-mail me if you are interested!

Calling all Cinnamon Chips!

Leslie over at 'A friend to knit with' posted up this recipe the other day for Cinnamon Chip Scones. Right away I was dying to try it, but had never heard of Cinnamon Chips before. Alas, our grocery store doesn't carry them.... and I'm pretty sure it is a US thing. The Hershey site also listed Heath Chips... I'm assuming from a Heath bar? I have no idea what that tastes like either.

So, I picked up some Skor chips and some Reese's Chips instead. I'm thinking I will substitute with the Skor and see how the scones taste.

But, if you are in the US and can get Cinnamon Chips, would you consider posting some to me? Perhaps Heath chips too? I'll happily reimburse and pay for the postage. I would love to see what they are like :)

Now off to do some baking... will post back later with some photos!

I Wish that I had Duck Feet

And I can tell you why.

You can splash around in duck feet. You don't have to keep them dry.

I wish that I had duck feet.

No more shoes! No more shoes for me!

Taken from the book 'I wish that I had Duck Feet' by Dr. Seuss.

Pattern: Duck by Jeni Steiman

A Contest of Sorts

So, in my absence, or shortly before my absence, a miraculous event occured that went unmarked. This dear blog turned 2. And reading your comments yesterday I knew it was true - I would dearly miss both writing in this space, but also visiting with all of you. Many of you have been around for the full 2 years, with other fresh lovely faces having jumped in since that time. I also know many people pop by without saying hello (please do say hello!). Thank you for your friendship, for your comments and your posts that make me smile and make me think. Thank you for reminding me and gently pushing me to stay here & to keep writing.

These past couple weeks while I have been adjusting to a new normal, I have been wishing/wanting to have some more of 'me' back. I had started running again and was loving it. But with 2 kids, and Nate's hours, getting out for that me time was becoming hard to do. Actually it stopped happening all together. I went and started looking at treadmills, but the cost was too hard to swallow. So, with my Mom's prompting, yesterday I picked up the phone and called a gym. I don't know about you, but I'm not a fan of gyms. Gyms scream to me of sweat and big body building men. (Yes, I know this is not the truth, but it is the image I conjure up when I think 'gym'). The end result of the phone call was that they won't tell me anything about membership fees over the phone, save that the kids would also need memberships to use their childcare facility. Nice. In only a way that ridiculous can be nice.

So, being the planner that I am, I sat down with pen & paper and did the finances. Into the cost of the treadmill I factored in upcoming gifts, that with said purchase of treadmill, Nate would not need to worry about - birthday, anniversary, Christmas. Yes, I WANT this treadmill & Nate needed to be convinced. Can you see where this is going? I factored in the cost of what a gym membership would be for two years (and yes, I'd probably only go and use their treadmill, and a couple of pilates classes). In the end, it came out that it would use up a bit of our savings, but not all of it. Yes!

So when Nate got home last night from work, I presented him my written up plan. We chit chatted about it for awhile, and we landed on a YES! YES! We loaded up the kids, went back to the fitness store (where G happily walked on the treadmills) and we laid down our moola. We, as of this coming Tuesday, will be the (in my case) VERY proud owner of a treadmill. One that will be able to handle the over 20K I eventually hope to put on it week after week. I never thought I'd be a person to run on rubber - heck, I LOVE to pound the pavement. But, with two kiddos, things need to change, and I NEED to run. Now I can be with them, while getting my miles logged. I'm pumped.

Are you wondering about the contest bit? I realize this post has become sidetracked with fitness equipment ravings. Don't worry - they are hand in hand. When I ran outdoors, I used a Garmin and lovingly named it 'Speedy Gonzales'. Everytime I turn it on, a little man runs across the screen and it says 'Speedy Gonzales'. Now, the treadmill won't be able to state a name when it turns on, but I think it does still need a name. Especially since it will be taking up a large portion of our front room. And, I need your help to come up with one :)

For the person who leaves me the name for my treadmill that I end up picking, I will send you chocolate in the mail. I'd say I'd send something crafty, but I'm having enough trouble finishing up my own crafty stuff, save making stuff for others. But, you can never go wrong with chocolate - and I will keep in mind those who are Vegan & those with allergies. Just let me know if your name is picked! No fear, it will be good chocolate!

I can't wait to see what you all come up with! :)

Something Good

I know, I know - I have been away from this place for almost 2 weeks. For no real good particular reason either. Time just started slipping away, and then, it had been a week, and it started to feel 'strange' to come back and put up a blog. What would I say? And then, shudder, I started thinking that perhaps all this blogness was coming to an end. I could quietly just slip away from this space. (As a blogger has the thought of stopping blogging ever crossed your mind, or is that just me?).

But, a good friend of mine put her facebook status this morning as "Carmen should put up a post" in a bit more words than that. She wanted something to read when she came home from an appointment this afternoon, and my blog has been called in to provide. So, what better way to come back and post in this space. than to show you, and tell you, about some delightful things.

Delightful thing #1 - yesterday, I was sitting in our playroom and the kids were out in the front room (don't worry, I could see them). All of a sudden I heard TONS of giggles - from both of them! I turned and looked and Grace was rolling around the floor in front of Aidan. Both were giggling without control. Aidan is absolutely enamored with Grace, and smiles and laughs with her frequently. But this was the first time they were both splitting stitches about just plain silliness. Nothing is better than a 4 month old giggling with a 3 year old. Pure joy.

Delightful thing #2 - I am working on knitting Aidan a pair of duck feet. "I wish I could have duck feet, and I can tell you why"... anybody else love that story? I believe Dr. Seuss? I have one done, and one more to go. They are sadly JUST a perfect fit, and don't have much room to grow. I am probably the only one praying on cool weather around here, just so I can get maximum wear from these cute knits!


Delightful thing #3 - I am sitting here writing to all you lovely people with a homemade latte nearby. Grace is reading, Aidan is sleeping, and we are all still in our pyjamas. A wonderful, lazy, mid week morning. Sometimes it's good just to let time pass slowly without rushing about!

What delightful things are happening for you?

Startitis

I think I have a case of 'startitis' or perhaps 'finishitis'. Which one is the one where you have an urge to start projects but just can't seem to finish anything? Whatever that is, I seem to have a bad case of it. Currently not finished are:

• Grace's quilt. I can't remember how to sew the mitered corner, so now have to stitch rip apart the binding from the quilt (ugh!), put it on properly, then hand sew. It's been at this stage now since March.
• Socks - I have two pairs of socks now on the needles. One sock at the point where I have turned the heel, and the second still working on the leg. And no, they aren't a set. Eventually they will also need their match.
• Nate's sweater - it's been on hold since Christmas and is sitting in a bag up in our bedroom. I have easily forgotten it was there, but it's starting to egg at me to pick it up again.

And then I have that pile of yarn that stares at me and screams "knit me!" "knit me!". I see socks, scarves, shawls in that pile, just waiting to be created.

What's really getting me though, is that I am part of a sock club, being shipped yarn and other goodies every few months. Now, I really shoud be knitting those socks, not just stashing the yarn - right. So there are more projects waiting to be started.

I would presume that to cure my 'itis' I probably should finish up a few things. But that is exactly contrary to what my 'itis' would like to do. Any advice? What would be your remedy?

On Being Three

She ran into my room in the morning, and jumped into the bed with Aidan and I, like she does every morning. But yesterday morning, I sang her Happy Birthday. She looked at me and said "but where is it?" No honey, a birthday isn't a thing, it is a whole day to celebrate you and the day you were born!

We started it off right with her favorite breakfast - blueberry pancakes. I made hers shaped like the number three :)

Then I revealed to her her birthday present. Aidan and her friends were patiently waiting for her to join their party.

She played in it for quite some time reading books and making sandwiches for everyone.

At the end of a great day of play we had some friends over for dinner. Her favorite - noodles. Spaghetti with garlic toast.

Then what she had been waiting for all day - her purple cake with lots of sprinkles (how fun is it that at three, she can now tell me what she wants her cake to look like!).

And the best part?

She was able to blow out her candle this year.

Oh what a fun year this will be with her! Here's to her fourth year!

Three

Tomorrow is Grace's third birthday. I'd say "I wonder where the time went" but as soon as I think those words, I know exactly where the time has gone. It has gone from when she used to fit, head to toe, laying on my lap, to first giggles (usually at our dog Clifford), to finally crawling at the age of 11 months. It has gone to taking first steps just for her Dad, to learning to run, jump, and do somersaults. It has gone to learning to colour, to first words (shoe!), to full on sentences. In what seems like the blink of an eye, this little baby of mine, is a full fledged pre-schooler.

I wish I could convey to you the miracle that she is. The delight she is to me. Oh she challenges me somedays, but even those days, I can say that she makes me grow. In good ways. I never knew that first day I held her how much better a person she was going to make me. And I can't possibly express how much I love her. Her blonde curls, her bright big blue eyes. The way she calls me Mama and wraps her still little fingers into my hand. I love how she loves to eat Rice Krispies for breakfast, every morning, without fail. And, tonight, I'm ready to celebrate all that Grace is tomorrow. May 5th. 2:03 am, this little gem of mine will be three. Three. I have to keep repeating that for a little while.

I won't be on here tomorrow. I'll be too busy eating cake, reading books, probably dancing, and hopefully laughing with her - alot.

I'll be back Thursday to post up some party pictures.

Blow Grace a birthday kiss will you? :)

Off the needles! A few 2010 knits :)

Pattern: The Enchanted Wood Colourway: Custom of Alli by Unique Sheep

Pattern: Bunny Tail Knit as a gift for my girlfriends daughters 1st birthday :)

This was the original hat knit to be a gift that ended up fitting G. Lucky girl got a hat out of the deal!

Pattern: Waffle Hat The yarn was a gift for 'me' when Aidan was born. Thought it suiting it should be knit into something for him :)

Pattern: Garden Snail Isn't he seriously cute?!

I have lots more projects on the go, but have put them aside this past week in an attempt to get Grace's birthday project sewn up by.... eek! two days from now! I'm so close to finishing though - just have the hem to do. I've been enjoying the sewing since finishing up the shawl (1st photo). It always feels so good to finish up a big project and take a bit of a reprieve!

Only in Calgary!

Weather here, in any given month, is very unpredictable. Heck, it snowed the day after our wedding day... and that was August! So it isn't surprising, or shouldn't be, that Thursday morning we awoke to a winter snowstorm... I was shovelling our car out of knee deep snow! Within our city though, by the time I got downtown, 20 minutes from our home, hardly any snow was to be seen (that's what we get for living on a hill!).


I am gearing up for G's 3rd birthday party tomorrow. As part of the birthday prep, we were out in our rainboots shovelling snow off of the grass. It should be around 10 degrees tomorrow. Nice enough to go outside... as long as the snow was moved a little bit to make room for some parachute games we have planned!

This has been a busy past week, getting used to having Nate away. We are getting into a rhythym though, and I hope to not be away from this space as much as I have been.

Happy Spring... er Snow to you all!