Decluttering

We're spending the day around here decluttering and cleaning the upstairs.

Not fun.

I rarely venture upstairs except to put the baby to bed and go get him when he wakes. There are always hazards in the hallway to navigate through, and I seldom make the journey without stepping on a lego or getting tangled in dress-up clothes.

Well, I had a conversation with a friend last night. A friend who has the most clutter-free house I've ever seen. She has 3 young boys and still manages to have a house that looks nice all the time. If it's a mess, it takes about 5 minutes to have it looking wonderful again because EVERYTHING HAS A PLACE. When I asked her to share her secrets last night, that's what she told me. She strives to have a 'hiding place' for everything (an actual home, not a closet that she throws everything into). She said she hates seeing 'stuff' just out in the open, so she puts things into drawers (with dividers/organizers), cabinets, baskets, boxes in closets--whatever. If a storage area becomes too full to close, she purges.

I asked her about those things that aren't being used at the moment, but you know you'll need them in the next year or two. Or things you aren't sure you'll use again, but want to keep 'just in case'. She shared that she uses the boxes that paper comes in (her husband's job gives her as many as she wants) and stows things away in these, with clear labels, which are then lined up against a basement wall. ANYTHING that is not being used at the moment, is put back in it's place immediately. And she's not sentimental about things, so unless it's just SUPER special, she doesn't feel bad getting rid of it.

Maybe you are all better at this than I am, but I am naturally a 'messie'. I get stuff out, then get distracted by something else. I'm too tired, too busy with something I'm enjoying, too busy with something that must get done NOW. I hate cleaning, though I truly appreciate a clean, clutter-free living space. So, with the image of a less-messy home motivating me, we began upstairs--the kid zone.

I knew that it would be easier for me to get rid of the kids' junk (not good toys--but the JUNK that accumulates), and might get me on a roll, ready to tackle my own stuff in the rest of the house. Well, we worked all morning/afternoon, and now we're taking a break. Our reward will be a family movie after supper tonight, once all the debris is cleared out and we can see a finished product. We're getting tired, but everyone seems to be motivated and is working together well.

We've collected 4 boxes of toys to donate and have thrown out nearly 3 garbage bags full of stuff so far. It *does* feel pretty good!

Check this out! DIY Electric Spinning Wheel!

My dh walked out of the 'reading room' last night, holding my new copy of Spin Off magazine. He had been studying a photo of a spinning wheel (I don't own one yet), trying to figure out how it worked. I shared with him what little I had figured out from reading about them. He shared with me that he would like to figure out how to build me an 'electric spindle'.

You see, I learned how to use a drop spindle over the summer and really enjoyed it. I've made two spindles from CDs, which have worked ok for me, aside from the wobbling due to poor balance. He has asked me several times about spinning wheels, wondering if I thought I would use it enough to justify the cost. Really, as much as I'd like one, I really wouldn't have the time to use it as much as I would want. Also, 8 kids in the house. 'Nuff said.

He had wondered about some kind of compact electric version, but I didn't really know what options were out there. I thought it sounded good--just some way to keep spinning without having to stop every yard or so to wind the yarn around the shaft of the spindle.

Anyway, we did a bit of searching and checked out YouTube last night and found a gem. Here's a site that gives ideas, supplies, and general directions for how to build your own electric spinning tool. I think it looks great! Dh is going to check into how to build it as economically as possible without sacrificing on function or durability. He's a mechanic, so he's thinking metal. :) Check out their YouTube videos showing it in action. Too cool!

Help with an Irrelevant Decision

OK, maybe I'm taking this couponing thing a little too far, but I need y'all to help me out here. I've looked at a few coupon-organization options online (blogs, message boards and such) and decided I'd like to try the binder option. This is where you use a 3-ring binder with baseball card pages--the kind with 9 pockets. Then you've got lots of small pockets to organize your coupons (I'll use dividers to make alphabetical sections). OK, so I've been keeping an eye out for a zippered binder (because the last thing you want is for all your coupons to fall out if you accidentally pick it up the wrong way). Haven't seen one for the last few weeks, at least not for a price I wanted to pay. I've kept an eye on eBay and Amazon, too. Well, I'm so desperate to have my Q's organized, that I was ready to pay for one.


So, I went to Walgreens tonight and found a zippered binder with a nice expandable file section that you can access from an outside zipper, or inside the binder when it's open. I would love to have that file to hold copies of store coupon policies, organize shopping lists and 'intending to use' coupons, store fliers, restaurant coupons, etc. It has 2" rings and is made by Mead.


My dh looked over it and thinks it's a good quality, with plastic sides instead of cardboard inserts. It cost $15 (heart attack), but I bought it. I figured if I could get one on eBay or anywhere else, I could make do. I was really hoping for a Case-It brand, because they have a handle on the spine, as well as a shoulder strap. Since I often shop with kids, having one less thing to hold onto is just good.

Well, next I went to Wal-Mart. After picking up the things on my list, I had some time to check over the clearance section. Guess what I found:


A bunch of Case-It binders for $9. I couldn't resist.


Now, I'm still not completely convinced I should use this one. I read some reviews on Amazon saying the zippers broke soon after putting them into use, and there were other complaints about the durability of the binder rings themselves. Aside from that, I'm not sure what to make of the fact that there are two sets of binder rings. You can see them in this photo: Each set is about 1.5" deep, so I'm getting a total of 3" of capacity, as opposed to the Mead's 2". But I'm afraid the fact that there are two sections will be a pain.

The other thing I really like about this one, though, is that there are way more pockets to hold stuff.

I can keep pens and my calculator, scissors, even the contents of my wallet in there, if I'd like (not sure I would, though). The Mead only has one velcro pocket and one mesh zipper pocket inside of it. (But it's got the file!) I'm not sure where I would keep all my larger papers in the Case-It binder. I guess I could just put those things in regular page protectors and keep them at the front or back of the regular coupons.

My Dh feels that the Case-It is a lesser quality, with a lot of extra pockets that I wouldn't use.
(note the extremely shallow outside pocket)

I'm not entirely sure he's wrong, but I sure would like that shoulder strap!

So, I'm debating on whether to return one and use the other, or just return both and buy a different model of Case-It binder on eBay. There is a different model that has the interior/exterior file section (and the shoulder strap/handle), but it runs about $20 plus shipping. Any ideas? What do you all think?

Are you Swagging?

You may have heard about the awesome internet search tool that rewards you with prizes, gift cards or even cash....but just in case you haven't--go check out Swagbucks right now! It's so easy to use and I've just about earned my third gift card (I get the $5 Amazon cards--they're only 45 swagbucks). I don't even really search that much, but they also offer extra bonus 'codes' that you can enter on their site for an extra buck here and there.

The basics: use the swagbucks.com website to do your searches--it uses google and ask.com to find your info, so you know you're getting quality results. You are randomly awarded swagbucks when you search. I installed their toolbar to make it super easy to search any time I need to--I don't have to go to their site first.

I'm sure you've also noticed the widget of in my right sidebar. This is easy to install on your blog or facebook, and helps you get referrals (which you also earn bucks for) and makes it easy to check the blog for swag codes.

I just really appreciate getting awarded for doing something I'm going to do anyway! How cool is that? So play with the widget over there on the right, and if you're interested, just click on the 'sign up' button in the bottom right. It will take you to a page with a little more info and get you all set up. Happy Swagging!

A great couponing blog...

I found a great blog a few weeks ago that has helped me so much as I strive to help my family become debt-free by saving more money on groceries and household items. That blog is called Frugal Living and Having Fun, written by a sweet lady named Deb. She shares weekly shopping lists for numerous stores, matching up sales and coupons for the biggest savings. I've utilized her Walgreen's list several times and it's so helpful. She also helps out for Target, Wal-Mart and several grocery stores that I don't have in my area.

On top of the couponing, she posts links to sites offering freebies or other great deals. There's even some budget-friendly recipes and weekly menus to top it all off! I sure appreciate all the time and effort Deb puts into her blog--why don't you go check it out and let her bless you, too! Be sure to leave her some comment luv! :)

Oh, I almost forgot! She's having a giveaway for a $20 Target gift card right now! Go check out this post!

Thanks again, Deb!

The Grocery Game

I just signed up for a Free trial of the Grocery Game, this week. So today I'm printing out my first List and clipping/gathering my coupons for a shopping trip either tonight or Tuesday. Check it out for FOUR free weeks of the List for store(s) in your area. Be sure to use my e-mail (scrapcat79 at yahoo dot com) as a referral--you can earn free weeks by referring your friends, too!

After I've used my free trial, I'll post a review of the service and whether I plan to continue the subscription. It sounds like an easy way to maximize my time in the area of couponing. We shall see....

One Year Old

My youngest is one year old today! It's so amazing how quickly that first year passes, and yet how it seems to drag on forever while you're in the midst of it.

This boy seemed to take forever to give us that first smile--he was something like 6 or 7 weeks old before we got one. But he hasn't stopped since! He loves his brothers and sisters, and is even starting to warm up to Daddy. Started sitting up at 6 months, then crawled a week or two later. Has been busy working on forming new consonant sounds since then, we're up to 'mama', 'dada', 'baba', and a couple of others that Ican't remember right now. :)

He took his first steps about two weeks ago, and is now taking two or three at a time before dropping to the floor to crawl the rest of the way to where he wants to go. His 7th tooth popped through this week (bottom far left), and he's loving his sippy cup more and more each day.

He's a snuggler and loves to hug and kiss. He'll pucker up and make a kissy sound, too, which is just adorable! He waved bye-bye to some friends last night, which we've been working on for a while, but his timing has been off--you know, he'll wait until everyone has actually left, then wave. :)

Having eight kids has been a challenge, but I've been pleasantly surprised at how everyone just fits in our family. The Lord has put personalities and temperaments together in such a way that every day has it's good moments and bad, conflicts and cooperation, but we all love each other and are happy to have such a wonderful family.

We're so thankful to have this happy little guy as a part of that. He is such a joy to all of us!

What I've been up to....

I realize that I haven't been blogging regularly, well, ever. But I've been especially neglectful lately. I plan to do much better in the future. I've finally figured out how to schedule posts (yay!) so perhaps I can write up several in one sitting when I get a chance, but you can all have something to read throughout the week.

I've been reading TONS of great blogs about being frugal and saving money. I feel like our family has always lived pretty frugally, because we've never had much money to begin with--we just had to! But I'm slowly learning that there are ways to save money which I've been neglecting.

Once upon a time, I was quite the coupon queen. However, when a special-needs child came along, everything got put on the back burner, and couponing was one of those things that I just never really picked up again. Well, a friend has been doing great in this area, and she inspired me to jump right in! There are SO many more printable coupons today than there were 5 years ago. I see a huge potential for saving a load off of my already-low grocery bill. I do not buy many pre-packaged, processed foods, but what I do buy, I can find coupons for. My 'scratch' ingredients (flour, sugar, milk, eggs, etc.) are harder to save on, but there are ways, which I'm slowly learning.

There are also tons of coupons out there for non-food items, which are easy to get free after coupons at drugstores such as CVS and Walgreen's. I figure if I can get all/most of our non-food items free or at a great savings, then it's worth my time to try to keep that money in our pockets. I'm trying to be organized about money-saving/making activities I can do to benefit our family without me leaving the home--viewing it as a part-time job that I can do right here at my own desk. It's hard to discipline myself to do this, but it will be worth it if I can just form the habit.

I'm going to list here a few websites/blogs that have helped me navigate my way through the beginnings of this journey. Hopefully this can be a benefit to others as well!

• Frugal Coupon Living
• Frugal Living and Having Fun
• A Full Cup
• Money Saving Methods
• And Freebies For All
• Freefly's

That should get you all started. If you all have some favorite money-saving/couponing/frugal living sites or blogs to share, please post in the comments!

Actual Knitting

Did I tell you about Multnomah(rav link)? She's a beauty of a shawl, simple and beautiful(non-rav link).



I used one 100g skein of TOFUtsies, a fingering weight yarn blended from 50% superwash wool, 25% soy silk, 22.5% cotton, 2.5% chitin (made from shrimp and crab shells!) The chitin is supposed to have antibacterial properties, which would be especially beneficial when making socks. However, when I was considering knitting a pair of socks from this yarn, I was deterred by the MANY plies and the thinner-than-my-usual-fingering weight. I figured I'd have to use size 0's to get a decent fabric for socks, and had a feeling that the combination of 0's and thin, many-plied yarn would result in a splitty nightmare.

So, I detoured to the Shawl department of Ravelry. They had quite a nice selection, which I browsed for quite a while before settling on this lovely.



Shawls on size 6's with fingering weight yarn--they're a joy. I'm not sure about lace weight shawls, 'cause I haven't finished one yet....



So, now that I'm (cough) finished with Multnomah (cough*exceptforweavingtheends*cough), what should I do with myself (besides cast on a pair of vanilla socks with some self-striping yarn, on my to-do list)?

Cast on a sweater, don't you think?



This is Liesl(rav link), by Ysolda Teague. I'm pretty sure this is the first pattern I've ever paid for. I've been admiring this pattern for months (a year?) and gave in this spring. I made the first one for my dd as a test-run with some inexpensive yarn. It went great, so I bought some slightly-pricier yarn for myself. I used Rowan Summer Tweed, an Aran weight mix of 70% silk and 30% cotton. Hey, I got a pretty good deal. :)



Factoring in that Liesl doesn't require much yarn due to the lacy patterning, I spent much less than a lot of knitters do for regular sweaters. I'm working up to buying sweater-quantities for 'real' sweaters.

Can't wait to wear it now that we've got nice, cool fall weather again! What's on your needles?

Old Houses

I wrote this post back in June and just never published it. But I think it's a good reminder to do an 'attitude check' once in a while.

Oh, and I *really, TRULY* have knitting to show you. The photos are right here in my camera, just have to get them transferred--I'll work on it this afternoon, I promise!

Here's the post:

Ok, I was going to rant about the problems with our old house. It's over 120 years old. Wet basement, roof that needs replacing, old plumbing. But as I started to think of what to type, the Lord laid it on my heart to be thankful. I'm suddenly convicted about what a bad attitude I've had lately. So I'm going to list some things I'm thankful for, about the house specifically, and maybe some general stuff as well. I hope it will inspire you to count your blessings, as well.

1. This house is big enough for our large family. We have plenty of room for us, and friends as well.

2. This house has an awesome deck where I love to sit and watch the kids play in the large yard. I swing and knit and feel at peace.

3. The laundry room is on the main floor, in the large bathroom. I"m grateful for this daily, as it's easy to 'reboot' the laundry in the middle of my day.

4. The kitchen has plenty of cabinets, and is large enough for my friends to chat with me while I'm cooking.

5. The arched doorways feel like a luxury that I probably couldn't afford if I were building a house today.

6. Same with the amazing diagonally-laid wood floors. Everyone always comments on how beautiful they are, even though they've taken a beating from our kids in the last 7 years that we've lived here.

7. I'm thankful the roof has held out this long, without leaking (much).

8. I like the covered front and back porches, where we store seasonal items and start plants in the spring.

9. The full basement is handy for our deep freeze, bikes in winter, and dh's tools.\

10. The wood stove in the basement saves us tons of money in winter.

11. It has large, modern windows to give lots of natural light.

12. The rooms are on the large side for such an old house.

Letting go of perfection...

All my life, I've been a perfectionist. I'm not sure if it's genetic or environmental (my mom is the queen perfectionist), but it came through in so many ways. If I was going to do something, I worked out the steps in my head to get the best results in the least amount of time. My room was a mess, but I got straight A's. If I found out I wasn't naturally gifted in a certain area, I just avoided it. Therefore, I didn't play sports at all and was content to be considered a 'nerd' in school. I worked a part time job or three all through high school and always made sure my boss considered me the best worker he or she had. When I made a pizza, all toppings were precisely distributed so that each bite was consistent. It was a bit obsessive.

It struck me today that I've changed. Years ago, as a young mom with 4 little girls under the age of 4, I struggled to keep that perfectionistic side of me. I worked so hard to keep my house clean, which we all know is futile--especially with babies and toddlers. I was constantly cleaning kids, doing dishes, folding laundry and trying to do each job just right. Over the years, my kids worked on me. Guilt over yelling at little ones to leave me alone while I was trying to perfectly decorate their birthday cake. Saying 'no' to playing a game with the sweet girl I was cooking dinner for. What would my kids remember about growing up? What would it matter if dinner was perfect if all my kids remember is that mom was always too busy for them?

Well, my oldest son (fifth child) turns 6 today. His dad has been planning a fun campout with friends, complete with a bonfire, fun games, and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Instead of the 'perfect' cake, this year the birthday boy helped me frost a plain 9x13 cake with orange frosting, which we then crowned with a paper cutout of the emblem for his favorite football team. He helped me choose the clipart and cut it out, and he was SO proud to be the one to carefully place it on his cake. It ain't pretty, let me tell you--the me of 5 or 8 years ago would be mortified to serve such a thing on an important occasion (with company!) But he is so happy and we've made memories this morning. I'm learning to be content with what is really important, instead of what is just 'perfect'.

14 pints and counting...

Salsa, that is. I love homemade salsa. I love trying new recipes, though I won't try them without the recipe meeting a few conditions.

• Not too much cumin.
• Cilantro is wonderful.
• Not too spicy--a few jalapenos are fine, but nothing hotter than that.

Boring, maybe. But I love it. Here's the fabulous new recipe I found a couple weeks ago. Wonderful Salsa

The first batch I made as written, but with about half the amount of jalapenos. Very good--a tad spicy for my sensitive tastebuds, but I think it was actually the ton of black pepper rather than the jalapeno peppers. I made a second batch today with some modifications. My local grocery had fresh cilantro on sale, so I bought a couple packages and used some in the salsa, omitting the cumin and black pepper (wasn't sure how those flavors would work together). I LOVE it, it's just perfect. Oh, and I also used fewer jalapenos than called for, but made up the difference with extra green bell peppers (had a ton from the garden).

Also, I used to dread all the chopping that salsa required, but I got the grinder attachment for my KitchenAid mixer a couple months ago, and it makes the PERFECT salsa! It's the same consistency that they have in the Mexican restaurants around here. SO easy, just peel/cut into chunks/shove it in the grinder.

I've also got about a quart of salsa in the freezer. Now this is a different recipe: Tomato Freezer Salsa. I love the fresh lime juice and cilantro. So tasty and easy to fix. You can have a little bit of summer in the middle of winter, it tastes so fresh!

Still stalking twitter for Sock Summit details. I'm such a dork. But I've got about 5" knitted on my sock!

Tomorrow: Family Fun night with our church family. A bounce house, other inflatables/games, and free school supplies for community kids. It's going to be awesome. Especially if the heat index doesn't get to 107 as predicted, ugh.

Off to bed, have a great weekend where you are!

Sock Summit Envy

I should knit socks non-stop the whole time Sock Summit is happening. You should, too!

I just joined Twitter. Follow me @many2knit4 . Or just join me in reading all the tweets about said international sock-knitting conference. Amazing history-making coolness. *sigh* My family is starting to worry.....

And yes, I will finally upload current knitting photos and share them with you. Eventually.

I have the feeling I'll need coffee in the morning.

Cooties, CraftLit, and Canning

Some random thoughts...

We've been sick. Some kind of virus-plus-strep throat (for at least one of us). Doc put the whole lot of us on antibiotics which has helped the strep-py kid. The dh and I though? Not so much. Still have sore throats and dh has been very achy and tired. Better today, though--finally! Really not looking forward to winter sickness. We've stayed pretty healthy this summer, but it seems like when the cold weather hits we're sick a lot. And of course, we pass everything around to the whole house, so. Fun. Last winter wasn't as bad as usual, though. Don't know if it's because the older kids have learned to wash their hands more (cutting down the cooties brought into the house) or if it was all the Emergen-C we took. (You can get it at your local health food store or wal-mart.) Anytime we went somewhere, we all took some. Anytime one of us started feeling bad, we all took some. And I think it really helped. Not terribly expensive compared to a trip to the dr. and subsequent prescriptions.

Do you listen to CraftLit? It's an amazing podcast that I started listening to about a year and a half ago. It's done by an English professor, who taught high school for years in New York before moving to Arizona. She does some crafty talk--she knits, spins, draws, paints, etc. Then she teaches about the chapter(s) of the book for that show which is just SO wonderful. I've learned sooo much, which has been an incredible blessing for my dormant-bookworm brain. I used to read ALL.THE.TIME. before I started having baby after baby. I let the urgent everyday stuff fill in all that time that I should have been keeping my brain sharp. Anyway. Gift this podcast a listen. It's a good thing. OH, and she's got CD compilations off all the podcasts, divided by book, in case you've got dial-up or can't otherwise listen to the downloads. You may need to e-mail her for those--I know she's taking some to SOCK SUMMIT (where she's teaching a heel techniques class and a couple podcasting classes). BONUS for listening--her gramma's banana bread recipe. Oh yeah. Made two loaves last night. Let's just say it's a hit for breakfast.

Also, Librivox. In case you want MORE BOOKS! (Sometimes one or two chapters a week on CraftLit just isn't enough.) All public domain, recorded by volunteers. Some good readers, some not so good. But FREE!

Now, canning. I've only canned a few pints of salsa a couple years back. I always think I'm going to do it, I'll can whatever produce I can find good deals on. But I never do it. I chicken out. Right now I've got pint and quart jars that I bought, lids, rings, canning salt, vinegar, a pickling mix, tons of tomatoes and cucumbers exploding all over the vines, and.....um......a freezer salsa recipe that I've already made two batches of. What's my deal? I think it's the intimidation of cooking all the salsa/slicing the cucumbers, then trying to get everything hot at the same time, jar it up without burning myself, and the really scary part? Thinking that I have to keep things STERILE in MY HOUSE. I just don't think it can be done. Too many littles. Too many older kids who like to stick their fingers in things for a taste. I dunno. Maybe I'll get the salsa all ready today, put it in a pot in the fridge, then cook and can after bedtime. Think that would work? We'll see.

In other news? A knitting-related post--coming soon!

Cucumbers and Onions

I don't know if any of you are familiar with this, um, pickle? Side dish? Concoction? Anyway, I was introduced to it by a good friend a couple years ago. She said you just mix vinegar, sugar, and water to get a 'flavor' that you like, then add sliced cucumbers and onions. Well....mine aren't right. I seem to remember hers being crunchy-ish. Mine are.....floppy. Like, REALLY limp. I ended up doing a mixture that is equal parts vinegar, water, and sugar. I love the flavor, and the onions are nice and crunchy, but the cucumbers are kinda grossing me out. Anyone have a solution? I'd sure love to know what I'm doing wrong. Maybe I'm remembering hers wrong, and mine are actually the way they're supposed to be....hmmm......

Oh, and I made a lot of the 'brine' for only a couple of cucumbers and one onion. She told me I could keep the liquid and just add more cucumbers and onions as needed. Would that affect the cucumbers if there was just too much liquid?

Thanks for any tips!

Catching Up

Did June happen? It's all such a blur...

There's so much to tell--there were many times when I thought of ideas for blog posts, took pictures, then proceeded to get distracted by the next thing and missed the chance.

I went to the Farmer's Market!



I updated my Ravelry page!

So many things on the needles right now, and all I can think about is what I want to cast on next.

Kids were crazy over the weekend. It might have had something to do with an abundance of sugary snacks and a deficiency of sleep. Also, the full moon. And fireworks. Just sayin'.


homemade patriotic parade, copyright 2009 by mycrazykids

I started using our cloth diapers again. The Happy Housewife had a post about CD'ing today, actually. A couple of weeks ago, we were running low on disposables that had been given to us, and I just decided I wasn't going to buy any more, at least for a while. I knitted up a couple of cute wool soakers and am really happy with how they're working. There's lots of info out there on the benefits of wool, so I'm not going to go into it here. I'm sure you can find some of it at Cloth Diaper Nation. I'm not a member there, but it was recommended by an acquaintance, and looks very comprehensive. So, I just use plain ol' chinese prefolds with a snappi, under the soaker or a homemade polar fleece cover I made a couple years ago. They work really well, too.

The weather cooled off this evening, bringing a shower along with it. After the very warm and humid afternoon, it was quite a relief. The short rain didn't deter my dh from taking off to go 'tubing on the lake with his buddies, though, leaving me a bit disappointed to not have a family dinner together. I cooked a ham in the crockpot on my back porch this afternoon, and whipped up some mashed potatoes and gravy, and some corn to go with it. He didn't know what he missed.

I think I'm gonna go warm up some bread and gravy right now. Sometimes, life is just better with gravy.

On the needles

I had been trying really hard to keep my WIPs under control. I'm such a magpie when it comes to pretty knitting projects. Ravelry does not help. I was doing really good this winter/spring, and only had one or two active projects going at a time. I put off casting on a new project until I finished one. But....something happened....

I blame it on Jasmin of the Knitmore Girls podcast. She's always saying how we shouldn't have any guilt or shame when it comes to how many knitting projects we have going at a time. It's just knitting--what's the big deal? It's a hobby-- shouldn't we just enjoy ourselves and cast on/knit whatever we want, whenever we want?

I thought about this....and couldn't really come up with a good argument. It's frustrating to be slogging along on something you don't really like anymore when you're wanting to cast on something new. Personally, I think I was holding guilt because many times, to cast on that new project I needed to purchase new yarn. We just can't afford to do that--I have a set yarn/knitting budget each month, and I simply cannot go over. BUT, I decided that if I have yarn for the 'new' project already in my stash, or I can buy it while keeping in my budget, then why not go ahead with it? And if I don't have the yarn, I can save up to buy it if I need to. What freedom! LOL

So, to say the least, I've gone a bit crazy with the start-itis lately. Every project bag I own is occupied. Here's the rundown:

Green GoKnit bag: Garter stole in shiny yarn

Blue Batik bag (from here): Blue Jeans lace leaf shawl

Pink batik bag (from same place): Striped Bronco scarf for DS

Green cosmetic bag: ribbed socks in KP Felici yarn, Mixed Berries colorway

Black & White Piddly bag: Anastasia Socks for me in Claudia Handpainted, Peppermint Mocha colorway

Basket by chair: Clapotis in Dream in Color Classy, Happy Forest colorway (from The Loopy Ewe)

Blue Options bag: Liesl for me, in Rowan Summer Tweed, powder colorway.

OK, I think that's mostly it. There is at least one older project languishing in my closet, and I'm thinking about casting on a stuffed toy for the baby, to serve as a lovey as I'm trying to get him to sleep better for naps and nighttime. But that's another story.... :)

Crawling

Well, I'm officially the mom of a crawler. At 7 months, he now thinks he has full reign of the house. Just a month ago, baby H was barely sitting up, and just at his peak of rolling-around-the-room-ness. Then his rear end flattened out so he was a pro sitter, he scooted himself around the room backwards, and finally took his first real forward-crawl last week. The next day, I went into the room to get him up from his nap, and he was holding on to the side of his crib in a semi-stand! Why do babies have to grow up so fast?

So, he's been eating solids for about 3 weeks and is doing wonderfully with that. I start my babies on fruits and veggies, skipping the grains for as long as possible, usually 10-12 months. I think this general philosophy has its roots in Nourishing Traditions, but honestly, I can't remember for sure.

Which leads me to a frugal baby-food tip. You thought I was going to say make your own, didn't you? While this would be ideal, and something I aspire to, I just can't right now. There's no produce in season in my area (yet), and I just haven't gotten it done with store-bought stuff. So yes, I'm using the evil jarred processed stuff. Anyway, the tiny stage 1 jars (2.5 oz) are 48 cents and the stage 2 jars (3.5 oz) are 53 cents at my local grocery store. The only real difference is thickness, which can be remedied if your baby needs something thinner, by simply adding some water or br3astmilk. So I get the stage 2 jars, and just dump the small amount needed into a bowl.

I got the May 2009 issue of Better Homes and Gardens, and on the cover is a fabulous photo of fresh strawberry bars. I tried out the recipe last week and thought it was super yummy--but I think a more appropriate name would be peanut butter and jelly bars. The base is like a thick peanut butter cookie, then it has a thin layer of strawberry jam topped with fresh sliced strawberries. I loved it--just delicious!

Another busy week....

Just when I thought things were going to normalize for a while, one of the twins burned her hand pretty badly last Saturday night. We were at a friend's house, and they had built a small fire in their firepit so the kids could roast marshmallows for s'mores after supper. You know it--kids + fire = emergency room visit. So we've been cleaning and dressing her burn twice a day, plus keeping on top of her pain with meds every 4-6 hours. She's been a trouper through it all, and is learning to do lots of things left-handed because of it (of course she'd have to injure her dominant hand).

Today was a great day, even though it was rainy off and on this morning. Dh took half the kids for a work day at church camp, so I kept the laundry going, fed the rest of the kids leftovers, and KNIT! I started up a Liesl sweater for my youngest dd. I started up a plain-jane stockinette sweater for her a while back, but quickly realized I just didn't have enough yarn for that. I thought something lacy would make the yarn go farther and I've loved this pattern for sooooo long. There were a couple of child-sized projects done on Ravelry, so I went for it. I'm knitting the smallest size on 7.0mm needles (KP options), using Knit Picks Swish Worsted in Bubblegum. It's a discontinued color, so I hope I've got enough.

I've been bitten by the startitis bug lately. I'm usually pretty monogamous--finished objects really keep me motivated. Recently, however, I've just been frustrated at how little progress I'd been making on my plain vanilla socks. There's just so much more I want to knit! Inspired by the Knitmore Girls' Jasmin (who claims to have 100+ WIPs), I decided that since knitting is my hobby and I do it for the entertainment/enjoyment, I may as well be ENJOYING my projects--whether I've got 1 or 10 or 100. So I cast on for two other pairs of socks as well as this sweater. I've also got a lace shawl on the needles, but it doesn't see much action lately due to lack of brain bandwidth.

Signing off to enjoy my kids before bedtime--they've actually been pleasant to be around this week! (it was a crazy full moon last week, let me tell ya--whew!)

Time keeps on tickin'

...even if I'm not blogging. OK, so maybe I'm not cut out for regular blog-posting. Or maybe it's just been a crazy few weeks that have (hopefully) been an exception to the rule. My absence on the blog can pretty much be summed up by telling you that my mom had double knee-replacement surgery last week.

Ahhh, now you understand.

Let's just say that I used to think that my 11 year old was pretty much ready to take over the household duties should anything ever happen to me. Now I know that we've got a lot more work to do. My dear, 80-something-year-old grandmother helped watch kids for some of the time I was away. Sounds bad, but really, Gram is awesome and did a great job of managing things. She knows how to delegate. :)

We've also had a couple of MOPS meetings since I last posted. Bunko night was awesome, I think everyone had a lot of fun. I used to think I was a fairly good communicator, but after trying to explain the rules of Bunko and half the people getting thoroughly confused, I'm not too sure anymore. We've had a couple of new people at these meetings, which has been very encouraging.

At the moment I have four sick kids. This morning was our church's Resurrection Egg Hunt, so dh and I had to make the decision to let him take the healthy kids out to that while I stay home. It's cool with me--it's kind of windy out and I've got a scratchy throat, myself. But the kids, who were already sick and grumpy, are now even more so. I let them watch a movie, but now it's over and we're back to whiney, fighting, grumpy kiddos.

Which reminds me, I put the baby in the crib while I dealt with the toddler, and the little guy apparently fell asleep, because I forgot to go back for him. Haven't heard a peep, so he must be happy. ;) Yes, I'll go check on him.

I'm back, he's fine. Rolled over and zonked out in just a t-shirt and diaper (well, and socks). I had him half-undressed because he spit up ALL OVER himself, TWICE, while I was trying to mix up the dough for some crescent rolls. Did I mention I'm fixing Easter Dinner for dh's family? And half my kids are sick? I'm thinking about calling my MIL and saying, "Forget I ever volunteered for this." Wow, I should probably clean my house..../looks around.....yeah, I should REALLY clean my house. Oh dear. Guess I better get to it.

Jesus Is Risen! (Happy Easter!)