Favorite Thing Friday: Haldecraft Soap

This Friday’s favorite thing is a wonderful handmade soap.  I bought this soap on Etsy from Haldecraft.  Haldecraft is a store run by Lorena from Hanks.  I have bought Lorena’s soap before.  I always gave it as a gift or included in swap packages.  Everyone who received it raved about it.  I kept buying more planning to keep it, but it always went to someone else.  Then, she posted on her blog some of her new items.  Those included the soaps in the picture. The firetruck shape caught my eye.  Wy loves firetrucks.  When I clicked on it, the scent name made it something I couldn’t pass on. The scent is “Monkey Farts” (I shudder to think about what kind of searches this blog post will come up under now).  My boys are obsessed with “bathroom humor”.  Monkey farts doesn’t sound appealing, but it is very fruity (banana, strawberry, etc).

I ordered this soap on Sunday (late). It was mailed on Monday, and I got it on Tuesday (really fast shipping…yay!!). The boys took a bath with it that night (and have begged for baths every night since…some nights we have to settle for washing our hands with the soap). They love the shape, the smell, and the fact that they can use the word “fart” repeatedly without getting scolded!

I love that this soap is soft and gentle on my boys’ skin (and maybe mine, but I will not confess to having used firetruck soap in the shower).  I also love that it smells so good. My whole bathroom smells like Monkey Farts (I can’t help myself…my boys are a bad influence)!  I have smelled other scents that Lorena offers, and this is a universal trait. They all smell good! The other thing that makes this soap my favorite thing is that it makes bathtime fun (and even washing their hands).  My boys want to be clean (actually, they want to smell like monkey farts so that they can say that to everyone)!

Since I love this soap so much, I am going to be ordering more for myself (maybe chocolate scented soap…yum)!!

 

Feeling a bit scattered

1. Today was my first day back at work.  It wasn’t too bad. Everyone covered for me so well that I didn’t really miss much.  Still, I wish I could get paid to stay home in bed.  I liked that last week.

2. It is so cold here. It is Florida, but you wouldn’t know it.  With the windchill, we are getting temps in the teens.  That is too cold for me.  Even with socks and a blanket, my feet are not warming up.

3. The cold weather has made me want to make up some rice socks (rice in a sock that you heat in the microwave).  They are great for warming up feet!

4. I am not making them because it would involve pulling my freezing feet out from under my blanket.  Next time it warms up a little, I will!

5. Logan had a really bad day at school today.  I hate when that happens.  He is such a good kid. He has had two weeks where he hasn’t gotten so much as a warning for talking too much (his usual “sin”).  Today, he was pushing, hitting, and talking ugly to other kids.  I wish I knew what triggered days like this. Thank goodness they are rare!

6. The Christmas song that makes me giggle the most is Dominick the Donkey.  I love the “hee haw” part the most.   I got to hear it twice today.  Both time it makes me giggle.

7. Make that three times…in looking for the link, my husband told me that there was no such song. I had to play it for him.

8. My husband now thinks that I am a bit crazy.  It is ok.  That is one of the things he loves about me.

 

5 things I have been up to lately

I can’t believe how little time I have had lately.  So, this will probably be a long post.  There is a lot going on in my life.

1. CB’s testing and such: We had CB’s EEG last week.  The neurologist was really surprised by the results. We suspected that CB was having absence seizures a couple times a week. It turns out that it is more like a couple times a day (and when he is tired or stressed, a couple times an hour).  He is now on meds. We have already noticed a difference after one week. He is more focused. He is also sleeping a lot more (and really well).  We have an MRI in December.  That will determine if there is any neurological cause for all his right side weakness. In the meantime, we will be starting physical therapy on Friday.  Everyone has expected me to be very upset about the results. So far, I just feel a real sense of peace.  CB is happy and healthy. He has absence epilepsy, but no delays as a result and it seems like the meds will work. He is growing and is cute as a bug. I couldn’t ask for a better kid. We are just trusting in God that this is all part of the plan.  On a very positive note, CB has started calling me “mama”!!  Until last week, he called me “this” if he was talking to me or “that” if he was talking about me.  He called his pacifier “mama”.  It was a little strange to hear him say, “Love you, This.”  Last week, he started calling me “moi moi” (think French pronunciation). Just last night, he finally converted that to “mama” (so now it is confusing…sometimes he wants me and sometimes he is asking for his paci).  It is so nice to hear, “Love you, mama” at night!

2. On the knitting front, I have been working like crazy on Christmas gifts (when I get a chance). I have done some more afghan squares (all are pictured in my projects on Ravelry).  I am currently waiting on the final Knitpicks order for the yarn. Once I get that, I should be able to blaze through the squares to get caught up (I hope)!

3. I got a great package from my pal in the Flat Rate Box Swap!  It had two skeins of Classic Lite Alpaca yarn, two skeins of Palette, a skein of Sockotta, and a skein of Baby Cashmerino.  She also included a pumpkin dishcloth (which CB loves, and keeps him from whining about having his face washed). I also received cocoa, two kinds of coffee, cinnamon bears, and Good n’ Plenty.  My pal, Shannon, included things for the kids too. There was some ribbon for their scrapbooks, a little book for CB, an activity book for LB, and stickers for their scrapbooks.  She also included honey from her local market (that is my littlest one’s hand reaching for the bear), soap from her local market, candles (that smell so good!), a circular needle perfect for two at a time socks, stitch markers (the kind I was going to buy myself, but could never justify it), stationary, and a calendar!  It was a very full box!!  Here is a link to a post about it with pictures.

4. I have also been very busy with church.  We are putting on a Kid’s ministry program the first Sunday of every month. I am the team leader for the greeters. I am also the contact person for the volunteers for our church (we are doing the ministry with three other churches).  That hasn’t been too bad.  I am also in charge of the planning for our annual Halloween carnival, Halloweenival (clever, huh).  It has been hectic planning, but it is all starting to come together.

5. Lately, I have really been focused on the homeless.  As some of you know, during law school, I worked in the Homeless Legal Rights Unit in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale legal aid.  Homelessness is a big issue for me (my pet issue if you will).  When I moved north and took this job, it kind of went on the back burner.  Lately, every conversation, every new person I meet, everything I do seems to put me into contact with the issue again.  Our community no longer has an emergency shelter.  Right now, I am working with some other members of the community to see what can be done about that.  In knitting related news, I decided to open a chapter of Warming Families here.  The North Florida Chapter is officially open and accepting donations! I am really excited to be doing this small thing to help the community!

Well, that is what I have been doing with my time!  I will try to be better at posting as things slow down (which I hope is really soon!)!!

 

Of scarves, monkeys, and kidlets

I finished my CNE scarf a few days ago. This is a scarf that will go to one of my nieces for Christmas.  It is made of the yarn I dyed using Easter egg dye left over from our eggs this year.  It is very bright.  I really like the pattern, but the project seemed to take forever. It was knit on size 3 needles with fingering weight yarn. I suppose that is why. If I were to knit it again, I think I would use larger needles.  The pattern was easy to memorize. I also have a fondness for seed stitch, and this scarf has a seed stitch border.  I don’t know why, but I love knitting seed stitch!

After I finished the scarf, I cast on a Monkey 2.0 for CB for his birthday. He turns two at the end of September.  We are trying to wean him from his paci, but I really feel like he needs a comfort/security item to replace it. He loathes blankets, so that is out.  I think he will love the monkey.  The pattern for this monkey is really clever. It eliminates a lot of the sewing by being knit in the round.  I really am enjoying knitting this. I also think this yarn is completely perfect for this project. This is the Kindred Spirits yarn I got in the first Flat Rate Box Swap.  It is supposed to be fair isle/stripey yarn. In the legs of the monkey, it has almost a “galaxy” effect (like the Regia Galaxy yarns).  Also, the legs and body all started in exactly the same point of the color repeat.  I could not have done this on purpose so perfectly if I had tried.  It is such a fun, happy accident.  This monkey is going to be very, very cute.  I also love that it is knitting up really, really fast.  I am thinking that I may do one for my nephew for Christmas since I hadn’t decided what to make him.  I may also do one for LB for his birthday (late December).

I have also started another new scarf (another Christmas present for another niece).  I decided to make it out of the Spritely Goods that I got in a trade some time ago. The colors just scream to be made into something for this particular niece.  I decided to knit the One Row Handspun Scarf by the Yarn Harlot.  I doubled the yarn and am knitting it on size 8 needles.  It is a huge relief after knitting the previous scarf. It is knitting up so fast!  Part of that is the completely addictive nature of the pattern.  A row doesn’t take long. I can’t seem to knit a single row. I keep saying, “Just one more…ok, just one more…maybe one more…”  I am enjoying this pattern (and how quickly it is knitting up) so much that I may do another for my last niece.  I just have to check the yardage on the yarn I have for her.

I am actually pretty surprised at how much knitting I have gotten done over the last week or so.  We have been dealing with a lot of kid stuff.  LB started pre-K this morning. We have been trying to prepare him for the last week or so for the change in routine. I am not sure why we worried so much. He is such an easygoing kid. He adapts to new situations with amazing ease.  I actually cried a little when I dropped him off. He started by telling me that I didn’t need to take him into the building. Thankfully, they require that parents sign their children in, so I had a really good excuse to go in with him.  He went in and started playing immediately.  I spoke to the teacher briefly, and then told LB I was leaving.  He said, “Bye, Mom” without even looking up from his toys. I said, “Can I maybe get a hug and kiss before I leave?”  He heaved a huge, long suffering sigh, and then gave me the fastest kiss and hug on record before returning to his toys. I got all teary eyed and looked at the teacher. She said, “He will be ok, mama.”  I said, “I know. I think that is why I am crying!”  I couldn’t believe how big and independent he seemed!

We have also been dealing with some health stuff with CB. While we were in Wyoming, my mom asked me, “So, how long has CB been walking like that?”  I had no idea what she was talking about. I turns out, he walks with his head tilted.  I never noticed.  She had to point it out and tell me it wasn’t normal.  Then, CB had one of his “spacing out” spells. Sometimes he just spaces out.  My mom noticed and tried to get his attention. She couldn’t.  She asked me how often he does that. I had no idea because we leave him alone when he spaces out. We have always just assumed that he was such an internal child that he just needed space sometimes. We thought he was just very good at tuning us out, so we don’t really try to get his attention when he does it.  My mom was very disturbed by it. She suspects that he is having absence seizures.  At first, she told me just to mention it at his next appointment at the end of September.  After thinking about it and considering that his head is abnormally large, my mom asked me to call the doctor immediately. The doctor diagnosed CB with mild torticollis (for the “tilt” when he walks). He is going to start physical therapy (again). She also expressed concern about the possibility of absence seizures combined with his head size. She decided to send him for an EEG and neurology appointment. I spent all week setting all the various appointments up (in between court, office appointments, jail visits, and all the other mom stuff I do).  All the appointments are spread out over the next month.   As I said, it amazes me that I got any knitting done at all!

 

Vacation and the aftermath

I just got back from a really wonderful vacation in Wyoming.  Every other year, my family has a family reunion in Wyoming.  The first week was spent at that reunion.  The second week was spent just hanging out with my parents, siblings, nieces, and nephew.  We had a great time.  This is a picture of my boys on our hike to Lake Sherd.

I wore my shawl a lot because the weather was cold.  I also got a lot of crafting done.  I got quite a bit done on my CNE (Christmas n Easter) Scarf for my niece.  I also made three bath puffs while there. I taught my mom how to make them (she taught me to crochet, but I had to teach her all the stitches as she had forgotten).  There are not pictures of the knitting or crochet because I was too busy to get out the camera.

When we got home, DH, both kids and I all had a cold that we got from my brother and his kids.  The kids have a very mild sore throat and cough (although Vicks on their feet one night seems to have gotten rid of their cough). DH and I have serious sore throats, runny noses, terrible coughs, chills, aches, ear aches, etc.  I also got pink eye. CB had it while we were in Wyoming. He got better immediately.  My eye doctor has warned me that I will likely be fighting it for at least a month.

As a result, my return home was not happy.  Fortunately, two things greeted me to make me feel better. First, MIL cleaned our whole house for our anniversary (we celebrated our 9th while in Wyoming…where we were married).  She didn’t just clean…she CLEANED (in all caps).  She washed my windows, washed and put away every stitch of clothing in the house, mopped all the floors, washed the bathrooms, cleaned out the fridge and freezer, took out all the trash, washed the baseboards, vacuumed all carpets, washed all throw rugs, etc.  She is really, really awesome. It was better than any gift she could have bought.

The second thing that greeted me and cheered me was my second Flat Rate Box Swap box.  My swap pal is really, really awesome.  The theme this time was a project for you. The idea was to get everything needed for a single project in your pal’s queue.  My pal chose the Chinook Shawl in mine. She got me the Riverstone colorway.  She also got size 8 harmony needle tips.  Also included was the Mason-Dixon Knitting Book (which I have been really, really wanting) and some Louet Euroflax so that I could make something from it.   There are also several mini-skeins for my sock blankie, a crocheted project bag, mini-highlighter, pencils, mini-post-its, a small pen, a mini clip-on calculator, a magnetic tape measure, a mini-digital camera, an album, a stress ball, Goon n Plenty, hand lotion, and a little sheep.  This is truely a remarkable swap package!!  I was so excited.  I love absolutely everything in it.

 

Why I shouldn’t be allowed to play with scissors!

I have had a busy day today. I decided to go to the thrift store this morning to look for sheets. I saw a really cute skirt tutorial where the skirt is made from a sheet. The biggest bonus…no hemming!  I knew I had to make this skirt.  I managed to find two sheets. One is a blue floral. The other is a yellow and white check.  It already had a ruffle on it!  I knew it would make a really cute skirt.

When I got home, my 2-at-a-Time Socks book was in the mail.  I quickly read it. I then printed out the Judy’s Magic Cast on Tutorial.  I cast on immediately.  I had decided to take the Panopticon yarn from the failed Monkeymen and do a toe up 3×1 rib sock for DH.  Right now, I am about halfway done with the toe increases. This method is really clever. I also like that both socks will be done at the same time. I don’t mind the second sock when I am making socks for me, but a second sock for DH is too much!  I do think that I will still use DPNs in the future, but I also love this method.  I will post a picture later. I just couldn’t get a good one today!

After the boys went to bed, I got to work on my skirt.  I was just finishing the waist elastic, when I cut my finger. It is a pretty deep cut.  I was cutting through the elastic when the tips of my scissors caught my index finger on my left hand. I managed not to bleed on my project (only my white carpet suffered). After performing the necessary first aid, I finished the skirt.  It is so cute! I can’t wait to wear it (of course, I will need a white slip before I can, but that is a problem for another day).  After I cut my finger, DH took the scissors and told me that I couldn’t sew anymore tonight.  I picked up my knitting, but am finding that holding the yarn is a bit strange.  I may just read for a while.   I am still proud of how much I have managed to get done today.  I also think that I will be able to get a blouse out of the rest of the sheet (and probably some sleep shorts for the boys).

Besides all the crafty stuff, I have been learning my new phone too.  I got an HTC Touch Pro. I love it.  I can check my email, Twitter, keep track of all my contacts, keep track of my calendar, and play games (all from anywhere…even court).  There is a lot the phone can do that I haven’t figured out yet, but I am getting there!

One last thing, I realize that the last post seemed a bit scattered. I was going to go back and fix it, but decided against it.  LB had been having some health issues.  He had toxic synovitis (an inflamation in his hips following a viral infection). He has been in a lot of pain.  On Monday night (when I wrote the post), he was supposed to be sleeping. The pain was keeping him awake. He was crying every few minutes. It made it a bit hard to concentrate.  I ended up taking him to the doctor on Tuesday, where he had x-rays and blood work.   He is doing better now, although he still has times when he is pretty sore. They say that it will last for up to two weeks and will return anytime that he gets a viral infection in the future. It is pretty yucky stuff.

 

Picking back up

In church last night, we were talking about an outlook on our spiritual life. One of the people in the group said that he views life like a video game. When you mess up, you have to start the level over.  He said he realized that wasn’t really the way it was. When you mess up with God, you can just pick up where you left off. I realized that I treat a lot of things that way. I haven’t been blogging because I got “behind” and didn’t want to have to do a big post.  I realized, I can just pick up where I am. I am probably missing a bunch of stuff, but that is going to have to be ok.  I am not starting this level over!

Thank you to everyone who asked about us during the household battle with the plague!  DH, LB, CB, and MIL/FIL all got sick. I didn’t, thank goodness.  Everyone spent about a week sick and then another week just feeling tired.  Everyone is better and my carpets are nicely shampooed.  Hopefully, we will avoid such a nasty bug in the future!

Sometime ago, I got the first installment of the Loopy Ewe sock club. It is wonderful!!!  It has a beautiful yarn, Casbah, in Ocean Currents. This yarn is so soft and so vibrant!!  It also came with a pattern (toe up) that I am hoping to try soon!  There were also other goodies including a tool kit that clips on to your knitting bag and candy!  It was a wonderful package.

I have still been working on squares for the blankets. I have three of each month except April. I am almost done with my first square. I set the squares aside because I am desperately trying to finish my shawl before the 24th, when we go to Wicked.  I am finishing the last repeat, and then I will need to do the border and block it. I am worried that it won’t be big enough.  I am also looking for something to wear with it. I should find something before next Friday!

I have also made some progress on DH’s socks.  I even got to work on them at Hanks SNB on day (one of my birthday presents way back in March was to get to go to knitting group). I have the first one almost done. I am a little worried it might be to tight. I have my fingers crossed.  DH complained that his other socks get a bit saggy at the end of the day. Maybe these will avoid that problem.

We did the Voluntary Pre-K screening for LB. He will start pre-K in the fall. He charmed the evaluators.  He scored very, very high, too.  He is so excited to start school. We have to keep reminding him that he is going to have to wait a while.

 

Drive by post

This is just a drive by post.  Both boys and DH are down with the stomach flu.  I won’t share details, but I am thinking I will be forced to shampoo my carpets this weekend.  Life is fun!

Anyway, I left you in suspense. I got a new laptop!! It is a Lenovo N500! I love it, but have had very little time to play with it.

I also got some pretty Malabrigo sock yarn this weekend. It is so lovely. I just wish pictures could do it justice.

 

Random things on my mind

I haven’t been posting a lot, but I have had a lot I have thought about posting.  Here are just a few things that I have been doing and have been on my mind.

1. I did the third January square. I am on target with my Christmas knitting right now. I have been thinking a lot about my next scarf project, but I want to finish my shawl first.

2. I am on the 13th pattern repeat of my shawl. I was almost done with the repeat when I dropped a stitch. I really couldn’t see where it was dropped. I just knew I was missing one. I ended up having to pull back to my lifeline (inserted at the beginning of the pattern repeat). I am so happy I am using lifelines!! I  am still trying to decide if I am going to do 15 pattern repeats or more.  I can’t tell how big the shawl will be when it is blocked.  I may do 20. I don’t think I could make it too big, but I would hate to make it too small!

3. At Christmastime, we tried LB on dairy again.  He didn’t react.  We then had CB tested for allergies. We learned that he had also outgrown his dairy allergy. Right now, we are dietary restriction free! It is such a wonderful feeling not to have to worry about labels and monitor food all the time.  Unfortunately, LB doesn’t like most dairy items.  He went for four years without them. He just never developed a taste for them.  We are working on getting him to eat more dairy.  CB, on the other hand, has started gaining and growing like crazy now that he can eat dairy (and drink milk).

4. I have been a single mom this week. DH was in Orlando all week. I don’t know how single moms do it!  My kids slept terribly all week. I am so exhausted!  DH is going to take them for some time on Saturday so that I can catch up on sleep!!

5. CB is teething. He also has a yeast rash on his little bum (due to teething). He is a cranky baby!  He has also started biting.  He would be a holy terror if not for being such a cuddle bug!  I can’t wait for this stage to pass, but I hope the need for hugs and kisses doesn’t go with it. He is too cute when he is soooo cuddly.

6. I started Weight Watchers in January. I weighed the same as I did when I delivered CB (which is way more than is healthy).  Since then I have lost 15 lbs. I am now at my pre-CB weight and in my pre-CB pants.  I have a long way to go, but I am definitely happy. My reward…maybe some Malabrigo. I am heading to Hanks on Saturday!

7. Paperback Swap: It is a website where you can exchange paperbacks with people all over the US.  You post your books. People request them. For every book you send, you get a credit that you can use to request books from others. I have a ton of paperbacks and love to read. I love this site!

8.  I listen to podcasts all the time. One of these days, I am going to list all the podcasts that I listen to with a brief “why I like it” blurb.  Keep an eye on the Pages for that list!

9. My new church. We started going to a new church in June. We feel so loved and accepted there! I absolutely love it. I am the Kids program director. The pastor and his wife are our age (early 30s). They have two girls very close in age to our kids (5 and 3).  We feel very loved and supported there.

10. I am getting something new tonight!  I will post about it tomorrow, but I am super excited.  It is not yarn related.  Can you guess?

 

Long Time, No Blog

I feel like I have been gone for so long. I have been here. I just haven’t been knitting much or blogging at all. I didn’t even log onto Ravelry for over a month!!

Work has been crazy. The kidlets are growing too fast. Home is a wreck. I just haven’t had time for me. I am officially reclaiming me time. I am having frequent migraines and am frazzled beyond belief. Time for me to do things I love. My house is going to be an even bigger wreck. I won’t ever catch up at work. At least, I can be a good mommy if I take care of myself. So, I am officially back!

I am doing only a small amount of holiday knitting. I am making another yuletide gnome (I will post a picture later) for my secret pal at work! He is cute. This time I am knitting it in the round. That is so much easier than knitting flat and seaming. I will post how I did it later, once I am sure it will work for the boots and mittens (that is an experiment).

I have also picked back up the monkeys I was working on. I have also done a few more squares on my blankie. Eventually, I hope to get back involved in some swaps!