Late winter storm hat

We had a forecast for a winter storm here in Seattle earlier this week. While a large part of the surrounding area got a decent amount of snow, we, in Seattle, did not. We got some flurries, sure, but not much more than a light dusting stuck -- which was so disappointing to a toddler who has discovered that he loves snow.

Even without the snow, though, it got cold (for us here in the Puget Sound area, anyway...). And of course, I wanted to make sure my little guy stayed nice and cozy as he played outside in the flurries -- especially since his wool hats knit by Mama seem to constantly be left behind at the park, playdates, and all sorts of places. I search through my stash of yarn, and found that I'm running woefully low on soft worsted weight wool yarn for hats. So I had to go with synthetic, and, judging by the way the hat is getting tossed around, I'm not too bummed about it.

This was my first time making up my own pattern, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out -- except that I knit the color work a little tight. But I guess that has nothing to do with the pattern itself... maybe I just need to relax a little! I've been knitting baby hats for a while now, so I had a good handle on  the dimensions I wanted. If you want a starting point for designing your own baby hats, there's tons of great books out there, but my favorite, by far, is Baby Beanies. After knitting up a couple of the (super adorable!!) patterns in the book, you'll be mixing and matching different design elements to come up with your own hat pattern in no time.

Life moves fast; don't miss it.

Every night, as I get ready for bed, I find myself wondering how time can possibly be flying by so fast every day. Instead of the post-holiday slow down I'd been hoping for, I'm finding our days are fuller than before. We're constantly trying to keep up with it all, and finding ourselves frustrated that we can't do it all.

And when things feel like they're getting too busy, or we have too much to juggle, I find that I need to remind myself that life moves fast and I don't want to miss it. It's become a personal mantra, a reminder that it's ok to be busy, work hard, and have a lot on my plate... but it's not ok to sacrifice quality and the enjoyment of life in order to try to do it all.

So this past Sunday, I found myself taking a break from writing reports and analyzing data to enjoy some priceless moments with M. He's so into art projects these days -- stamping, painting, drawing, "writing", and, now, beading. It's delightful watching him finding such enjoyment in the process of creating something. He's so deliberate in his creating process, and doesn't rush through it at all. The end product is a plus, of course, but his real enjoyment comes from using his hands to touch and make. Our home is overflowing with his artwork these days, little bits that remind us to keep things in perspective.

Life moves fast; don't miss it.

Two and a half months

Wow.

It's been two and a half months since I last posted. How is that possible? Lately, as I am getting ready for bed, I am left wondering where my day has gone. I know that's not a unique feeling; most of my friends complain about the lack of time, too. Still, I'm finding it hard to believe it's been two and a half months since I last visited this space.

Since returning to work, my spare time has become so much more scarce than I'd anticipated. Not that I had that much spare time when I was at home full time with the Monkey, but I did have those precious nap times to get things done: cleaning, laundry, dinner prep, sewing... Now I find myself wanting to spend all the time I can with my guys, which means way less crafting (and cleaning). That, of course, translates to a lot less posting here.

I have been (slowly) working on some larger projects lately, which I will surely share here in the next few weeks. In the meantime, I leave you with this. This is where we spent our Saturday morning, enjoying some much-needed sunny and dry fall weather and some much treasured time together. Yay, fall is here!

Picking the perfect pumpkins

Making "music"

Say 'Cheese!'

Project Home Decor Continues

I am still slowly working down my "to do" list as I try to decorate our home, and it's going way slower than I'd imagined. One of the big items on my list is turning the Monkey's room from a baby's sweet nursery to a toddler's cool transportation themed room.

First up: cool new bedding for his crib.

Did you know you can make your own crib sheets? Yep, you can! Dana's tutorial makes it so so so easy.

I've been eyeing the adorable sets of transportation-themed crib sheets over at Pottery Barn Kids, but they're just a bit too pricey for me. So instead, I cut into some fun cars, trucks, and motorcycle fabric I got at Ikea months ago. And just like that, the Monkey has some cool new fitted sheets for his crib.

Paired with his new Toybox quilt, and I think we're off to a good start in his room. There's still a million other things I want to change up in there, but for now, he's happy with crib bedding that reflects his interests (wait, I meant obsession). And that makes this Mama very happy.

Oh, and don't think I've completely given up on the monthly projects. I'll be back later this week to share!

Knitting on my commute

I'm lucky to have a short 15-minute commute on the bus every day, and I love having those 15 minutes before arriving at work to organize my thoughts about what I need to accomplish that day. Keeping my hands busy really helps me to think and relax, so I've been working on this little treasure vest for the Monkey on my commute (and while watching movies with Mikey, too...).

I'm really excited about how its turning out and cannot wait to finish it. It's my first garment, other than hats, knit in the round and so far so good. Of course, I haven't gotten to the shaping of the neck, so I may be moaning in a few days when I get there!

It feels a little funny working on fall clothes for the Monkey when Summer feels like it just arrived to our corner of the world. And especially when we find ourselves doing a lot of this in the evenings:

Hope you're enjoying your summer. Got any projects you take with you on the road?

Summertime Ritual

This week has been one of changes and new routines for us, and one of the things that we have been wanting to implement is taking an after-dinner walk as a family. For the longest time, we just couldn't get our act together to go for a leisurely walk around the neighborhood together. Maybe it was because the Monkey wanted to be carried rather than wanting to walk. Maybe it was because it was a little gray and cool all the way through June. Or maybe it was just because we weren't trying hard enough. Whatever the reason, we hadn't gotten around to it. Until this week.

The Monkey loves (and I mean LOVES) popsicles. I made the mistake a few weeks ago of letting him eat one in the living room, and there were sticky red popsicle drips everywhere. It seemed that I kept finding sticky popsicle puddles on every single surface of our living room for days. So earlier this week, when the Monkey asked for a popsicle as we cleaned the kitchen after dinner, it dawned on me: this would be the way to get my family outside and walking every night after dinner. A new ritual, something that can become a part of our summer evenings.

And, just like that, a new ritual has been born. Almost every night this week, after dinner dishes are loaded in the dishwasher, we put on our shoes and a bib for the Monkey. We each choose our favorite color popsicle, and off we go. It's a leisurely walk, stopping often to admire the flowers, chat with neighbors, point out trucks, and pet dogs. We're getting to meet neighbors we didn't know before and laughing an awful lot. As an added bonus, the Monkey is tuckered out and ready for his bedtime routine by the time we make it back home.

Yay for new rituals!

Changes

checking out the plums in our backyard

This week has marked the beginning of a new stage in our little family. After 2 years of being a stay-at-home Mom, I am going back to working outside of the home. I've been looking for a job for so long now and with such little luck, that I was caught by surprise when I got the email. It's really an exciting project and I'm so grateful to have a job, especially because I know there are so many out there still searching.

Still, I'm finding myself a little weepy at the thought of having that wonderful Mama-baby time be over. We hadn't initially planned for me to be home with Monkey for his first 2 years, but I'd be lying if I said they weren't the most magical years of my life. It was a blessing and a joy to get to spend every day caring for him.

This first week at work has been slow, as they prepare for me and my position, which has allowed me to ease back into it. This, too, is wonderful as we all adjust and get used to our new routines. I had been afraid it would be very difficult for the Monkey to adjust, but I think it's been a little harder for me. I'm finding that I need a few more hugs and cuddles from my boy, and, luckily, he's always willing to give his Mama all the loving she needs.