boogaj

Spring Woods Walk

This past Sunday Pete, Maddie & I went to Pilcher Park for a nice little walk in the woods.  I used to go for walks here as a little girl with my dad and sisters (and probably my mom too, but I think more often we went with my dad), so I enjoy going there now with my family.  It's a really lovely piece of land situated along Hickory Creek and it includes plenty of hiking trails.  We did the "Trail of Oaks" loop which took us through meadows, over creeks and through the forest.  A nice easy hike to get us geared up for the Spring.

As a kid, I remember my dad dragging us girls down into these creeks to dam them up (yes, he was a trouble maker, but he was fun).  There were these pretty blueish flowers in bloom all over the woods. 

And here is a view down Hickory Creek -- what a nice way to spend the afternoon!

Bird Watching

We love birds here at our house.  Recently we upgraded from our sad, bent (due to the great tree falling of '04) pole system to two fancy new poles with two feeders on each.  We now have one each of the following: peanut feeder, thistle feeder, no-mess seed feeder (this is the best seed ever -- you don't get weeds from it!), and a safflower feeder.

Why so many?  Well, you get different birds with different seeds and perch types.  Since Pete installed the new set up, we have been noticing a wide range of birds.  Just today Maddie spotted a bird that we hadn't seen before -- the Red Breasted Nuthatch.  We live in northern IL which is where they winter.  They are pretty little birds with a bright orange-red belly and beautiful dove grey backs.  Their heads are black and white with a striking black line running out from the eye. 

When I'm in my kitchen, or up in my office, I love looking out at the birds.  There is something very enjoyable and relaxing about it.  And Maddie has great eyes -- she always spots the unique birds and brings them to my attention.

So what do you need to get started bird watching?

• Feeder(s) -- You don't need a tree -- now you can even get feeders that you place on the outside of your window with suction cups.  But if you have the room, there are beautiful, functional feeder systems out there.  We buy all of ours from our local Wild Birds Unlimited.  The people who work there are very knowledgeable and can answer pretty much any question you have.
• Seed -- Now, it is possible to go to the grocery and buy big bags of cheap seed, but I'm telling you that you will regret it.  Why?  Weeds!  The cheap seed is full of nasty weed producing seed as well as a lot of filler that the birds won't even eat.  So, while it looks like a good deal when you do the math -- don't be fooled.  We also buy or seed at Wild Birds Unlimited. 
• A Field Guide -- We have an older version of the Peterson Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern and Central North America.  It has lots of pictures which make bird identification easy.  It also includes maps which show you the migration patterns of each species.
• Binoculars -- We have a really nice set of binoculars that were passed down to us from Pete's dad, but I have another little set that we bought before or honeymoon in Alaska that was quite inexpensive.  You aren't going to be viewing these backyard visitors from too far away, so an inexpensive pair should suffice.  Really though, I can't identify a bird with out getting a close-up look at it, so I would say that these are a must if you are at all serious about birdwatching.

That's about all you need, but of course there are all kinds of fancy accessories associated with bird watching as with any other hobby. 

I also found some good stuff on the web when I was writing this post today:

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology's online bird quide
• Wikipedia has lots of bird info.  This is where I got the freely licensed photo of the nuthatch. 
• For those of you also in Illinois -- Birds of Illinois
• For those of you homeschooling, at 50birds.com they have lots of good stuff including realistic bird coloring pages.

Have fun watching the birds in your backyard!

Scribbles

Need a great gift idea for a kid? Scribbles: A Really Giant Drawing and Coloring Book by Taro Gomi is a coloring book that really gets the creative juices flowing. Maddie already had Doodles: A Really Giant Coloring and Doodling Book, which we bought her before we went on vacation last year, so I knew this was going to be a winner. We actually use Scribbles during school time. She picks out one set of pages and she works on the right hand side while I do the left. It's a great way to play creatively with your child/grandchild/niece/nephew.

Perhaps I should explain a bit more about what kind of coloring book this is. On many pages there is an incomplete picture (for instance, an empty vase on the pages I show above) and there is a suggestion of what to draw to complete it. Usually it's very open ended -- fill the vase, draw an outfit, what is on this hill, draw a super scary monster, or some such thing. Very fun for kids and adults! Maddie and I both highly recommend these books.

2 Weeks without a Post?!?

It's been a busy couple of weeks here -- always seems to get crazy in the second half of October since we have so much partying to do! 

First Maddie turned 7!  I really can't believe she's already 7 -- it seem like we just brought her home from the hospital yesterday sometimes.  If I'm this emotional about her growing up now, I can't imagine what a wreck I'll be when she's 16 -- or when she goes off to college.  Yikes!

We had a family party and the weather was *so* warm that we had a pinata outside.  And this was one well constructed pinata -- I thought we would never get it open, but finally (with a little help from me) they did.

We extended the fun for a couple more days -- Pete took off the Monday before her birthday so he could spend more time with her and Tuesday was her actual birthday. 

Here she is on her actual birthday -- sporting her new hairdo.  I think the shorter hair suits her and I'm glad I cut it off -- although I was a bit nervous after I made the first cut.  She has super thick hair and I wasn't sure I was up to the task, but it turned out pretty well.  I think her next haircut will be done by a professional though.

And then this past weekend it was time for the annual pumpkin carving contest.  Every year we meet at my mom's house, eat chili and carve pumpkins.  It is so much fun!  I tried to get a good photo with the pumpkins lit up, but this was the best I could do.  Can you guess which pumpkin was mine? 

I didn't take any individual pumpkin pictures, but here is a blown-up cropped image of mine:

I tied for second place with my sister Heidi -- whose pumpkin is on the far right.  And my sister Amanda won -- hers is to the left of mine.  Fun fun!

And the festivities haven't ended -- tomorrow night is Trick-or-treating with my family.  We are so lucky to live so close to each other.  We all meet at my mom's house and the cousins trick-or-treat together.  Good times:

Happy Halloween to Everyone!

I haven't just been playing Zelda. . .

I've also been riding around Chicago in a limo with my family:

My Mom, sister Kristy, her husband Gregg (hidden), sister Heidi & her boyfriend, Kevin (belongs to my sister Amanda) & Pete


Other end of the limo -- Me and my sister Amanda

We have 3 brother-in-laws in the family and their birthdays are all around the same time of the year (Sept/Oct).  We used to have individual get togethers for each one, but three years ago my mom suggested one fancy dinner instead of three pizza/bbq type things.  It was so much fun that we've been doing it every year.

This year we took a limo so that everyone could enjoy a few beverages and we went up to Chicago to Keefer's.  Very nice place! 

I've also been cooking and baking quite a bit.  Recently I made the Crumb Coffeecake from The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion.  So good!  And it makes 2 - 8" round cake pans, so I froze one for later.

THen today I pulled out Beth Hensperger's The Bread Bible (not to be confused with Rose Levy Beranbaum's  The Bread Bible -- also and excellent book) and made Real Lemon Muffins with the bag of lemons I had in the fridge.  I am completely powerless against lemons and when I see bags of them at Trader Joe's I often will throw them in my cart.  I never know what to do with them, but since trying this recipe I will never have that problem again.  Delicious and very lemony!  I used the whole bag of lemons for this recipe and it only makes 8 muffins, so there you go.

Speaking of Beth Hensperger, I just love her cookbooks and have had great success making everything I've ever tried from them. 

Another thing I've been trying to do on a regular basis is cook dinners from scratch.  I love to cook and bake and got away from this habit when Maddie was little and work was eating up all my free time, but as I step back from work a bit and Maddie becomes independent I find I have more time.  So, I've been trying to cook things fresh, organic and whole. 

I actually find that I'm loving Everyday Food.  From the current issue I've tried 3 recipes and all were a success!  (Well, Maddie wasn't a fan of the mushroom risotto, but it was delicious and turned out just great.)  The whole family loved the Chicken Parmesan recipe and it was so easy since nothing needed to be fried.  Of course, it always takes me longer to make the meal then they say it will, but I plan ahead for that  :)  (The third recipe I tried was the carmel corn -- very good, but I will make more caramel stuff next time I make it.)

So, I have been doing something besides playing Zelda -- really I have.  In fact, I have some book reviews to post very soon!

Welcome to the world TJ!

Here's a photo of the little guy that I made the quilt for. He arried Sunday morning bright and early (well, if you call 7:18AM early like I do!) So I'm an aunt once again! When I asked Maddie what she thought of her new cousin after we went to visit him, she said he was cute -- yes he is!

Beauty Salon!

Today was Maddie's first trip to the salon and my first trip in over a year.  Just look at the state that our hair was in. . .

Okay, it's difficult to take a good photo of yourself in the mirror, but my hair really does look that bad -- it just grew out like a weed and I did nothing to stop it!  Shame on me.  And we've been trying to grow out Maddie's bangs. . .

and the back has just been growing too. . .

I don't have a good after picture of Maddie's haircut from the front, but look at here's the back:

It looks very stylish!  And mine is *so* much better.  A mirror photo really doesn't do it justice. . .

So now I have a stylist that I like and I'm not afraid to go get my hair cut!  Yeah!  (About 3 years ago I had a very bad haircut that turned me off from going to salons.  I actually broke a sweat when I called to make the appointments for Maddie & I.  Whew.)

Maddie Turned 6 (and I went AWOL)

Maddie turned 6 yesterday -- I can hardly believe it.  I feel like I'll be sending her off to college before I know it!  The preparations for her party and a slew of other errands that had to get done kept me *very* busy all last week.  (New cell phones, a visit to my stockbroker -- thank goodness she's my mom!, finally to DSW to get a pair of shoes, off to the bank & grocery -- you get the idea.)

The party was a casual affair -- as I get older, I realize that:  a) I am *not* Martha Stewart.  b)  My family and I have more fun when we have casual get togethers.  c)  Even a simple get together leaves me exhausted and costs a good chunk of change!

So, we had chips and dip and a Sponge Bob cake that I did not make myself.  And we ordered carry out.  My Mom even brought crafts!  And almost eveyone did them -- photographic proof:

That's my Mom, Maddie and her cousin Landon -- Maddie and Landon are only 6 months apart and they play together so well!  Both are only children (and while Heidi plans to have more kids one day, I don't) so it's really nice to have them be so close.

And these are two of my sisters -- Heidi and Amanda and Amanda's husband, Kevin -- yes, he's crafting too!  We like him -- he married my sister and now he's gone and knocked her up!  My other sister and brother-in-law weren't crafting, but they were busy running around after a little one who just started walking recently, so they were quite busy in our non-baby proofed house!

Maddie was very gracious and exclaimed in delight over each gift -- is it the age?  She was very sweet!  And one gift she especially loved was her very own American Girl doll.  Oh my -- she is growing up too quickly, I tell you!  (These dolls are pretty incredible -- I almost want one for myself.  Sometimes I'm so glad that I have a little girly-girl!)

Yesterday was her actual birthday and Pete took the day off from work so that we could do something fun.  Maddie choose the DuPage Children's Museum.  We had actually never been there and I don't know why -- it's not very far and it was so much fun!  If you live in the Chicago area, it's really worth the trip.  (They even had a "wood-shop" area for older kids.) 

They had some really incredible "light" exhibits as well as building, water, air, math and other things.  Really quite fun.

Whew.  So that's where I've been.  I'm working on a new knitting pattern for the next issue of Yarn Forward and having a terrible time -- I've ripped it out 5 times, but I think I have a new plan.  (I also have an article in the current issue!)  And other than that, I've just been trying to find a few minutes to breathe.  Things should settle down after next weekend -- which is going to be insane once again.  I'm just dreaming of November -- November, November, November. . . .

Happy Birthday Pretty Princess!

Pete turns 41 today! Why don't you stop on by PeteLit and wish him a Happy Birthday?

(Okay, here's the story on the photo. Maddie loves to play games and Pete, being the great Daddy that he is, lets her choose her favorites. For a while all she wanted to play was Pretty Pretty Princess. As you can see, he won!)

Working on Episode 2!

I recorded episode two yesterday afternoon and I've been working on editing it and adding some music samples in little bits of free time today.  I'm going to let Pete take a listen to make sure I didn't miss anything and then I'll put it out there.  I also tried to make the Stitch-Cast site a little prettier this week. 

Today was a big day for Maddie.  The annual Easter Egg Hunt!

Every year they have a nice egg hunt in my Mom's neighborhood for the kids and grandkids.  All very friendly and fair.  It was a little chilly, but bright and sunny!

We also went out to the "country" to see my Mom's new cottage on the river and visited an old farm town.  Look at these cool Lustron fronted shops:

At least I think they're Lustron.  (Don't know what Lustron is?  There's info here and here of course.)

So that was our day.  Hopefully the second episode of Stitch-Cast will be up tomorrow!

Pete is Published!

Pete has just had a short story published in Storyglossia! It's called Ectoplasm -- go read it!!

I'm proud of you Booga P!

The end of a tradition?

As most of you in the Chicago area know, Marshall Field's was bought by a big department store conglomerate and they are soon changing the name to Macy's.  This doesn't sit well with all the Chicagoans that I've talked to about it.  Despite this, we made our annual trek into Chicago to go eat in the Walnut Room at Field's by the big tree.  This year it was done all in silver and blue and the ornaments were from Swarovski.  It was gorgeous!

And the trip wouldn't be complete without a visit to Santa!  Here is Maddie proudly displaying her "I Saw Santa" pin. 

It was a lovely day (despite the migraine I had) and the lines weren't unbearable.  And now I have a stack of Frango boxes downstairs calling my name -- yum!

I stayed up late and read the first 4 chapters of Wendy Knits

.  I'm really enjoying it!  I'll give a full review as soon as I finish!

And tomorrow. . . coffee filter snowflakes!

Swedish Christmas

Here's my holiday table.  I took a picture going the other direction where you could see both trees lit up, but I'm afraid that the "candlelight" setting on my camera requires a *very* steady hand -- something I didn't have after 2 cups of glogg (more on glogg later. . .)

And here's our smorgasbord (did I spell that right, Pete?)  Swedish Christmas is heavy on the meat and starch.  From top to bottom we have: traditional rice pudding with lingon berries, jello salad, Swedish meatballs, potato sausage, ham, scalloped potatoes, limpa (Swedish rye) and cardamom tea rolls. 

Before dinner there were lots of snacks including Bond-Ost (a caraway seeded cheese) served with knacke bread (hardtack -- like rye krisp kind of).  Oh -- and Sil (pickled herring).   And of course there was glogg!  Glogg is a mulled red wine that you drink warm and it is so good!

The next morning we had cardamom braid and coffee cake from the Swedish Bakery -- yum!

It was lovely to have Pete's mom here for a few days and Pete was wonderful (& so was Maddie).  I will leave it at that, other than to say that I will not be having Swedish Christmas here next year.  I'm glad that I did it for Pete's mom's sake though.  Maybe her daughters will step up next year.

Swedish food resources:

• Swedish Bakery -- I had to have all the baked goods shipped to me from Swedish Bakery because there was bad weather the day we were supposed to go up to Chicago.  Everything arrived here in great condition -- well packed and fresh!  You can see pictures of most of their baked goods on the website.  I ordered cardamom braids, Andersonville coffee cake, limpa, cardamom tea rolls and cinnamon bread.  Yum!
• Wickstrom's -- Wickstrom's is also in Andersonville (in Chicago) and they are a Swedish deli.  You can get the Bond-Ost, Knacke Bread, Sil, Glogg mix and tons of other things.  I haven't ordered online from them, but I have shopped there in person and they are wonderful! 

Little Witch!

Here's my little witch! It was a damp night for trick-or-treating, but she had fun. And the girl has a bag of candy that she will *never* be able to finish. In fact, she cares so little for chocolate, that she hasn't even looked at her candy today. At times like this I wonder -- Who's daughter is she?!?!?

Big ol' Pumpkin

The last few years we have gone to a somewhat local farm/pumpkin patch each year before Halloween.  This year we have been so busy that we really didn't get our act together.  But yesterday we found a little time to stop by the little pumpkin patch where my family used to get their pumpkins when I was a child.  Ah. . . memories  :)

And I want to say thank you to Lisa!  She sent me this lovely lace weight from Joslyn's Fiber Farm.  I think it might be Spider's Web?  I didn't have an email address or url for you Lisa, but thank you!! 

Now what to make with it?  It's lovely and soft and there appears to be a lot of it. (2500 yrds if it is Spider's Web!)  I guess it's time to pull out my favorite lace book -- A Gathering of Lace.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Surgery

Well, I finally went to the "big city" to see a specialist and I have to have my tonsils out -- at 35!  I'm not looking forward to that.  Any other adutls out there who have had a tonsillectomy?  I hear there is a lot of pain afterwards. 

In other news. . .

Maddie turned 5 on Sunday!  I really can't believe she is already 5.

While riding in the car up to the hospital, I did a bit of knitting on my Ruffles scarf.  Not much progress on Ingeborg this past week due to the party preparations and such.  I did get a couple of new knitting books in the mail though!  I'll be reviewing them soon!

Maddie's Almost 5!

Maddie turns 5 at the end of October and she wanted a Halloween themed party.  So today while I was sulking because Renegade got rained out (or at least I'm guessing it did -- it was raining so badly here that we didn't attempt to go), I made the invites for Maddie's party. 

I printed up the details on white cardstock and attached that to some purple cardstock I had cut to match some envelopes I had.  Then I made all those little orange squares, stamped them and attached them.  I stamped the envelopes to match too.  Yeah for papercrafting! 

Aren't the stamps cute?  I sell rubberstamps -- did you know that?  I've had my stamping website since long before I started a knitting blog.  (Oh, it's www.stampingonline.com if you want to check it out.)  And I used to love stamping.  After a good chunk of my day started to revolve around the business aspect of stamping, I really lost interest.  I guess I saw all those stamps as work instead of crafty fun.  So it's kind of cool to do some stamping and enjoy it!

I have the best husband!

I have the best husband in the whole world!  Since this whole mess came to my attention last weekend when I saw the magazine, I have been severly stressed out.  My emotions have been all over the place.  But my husband has been right by my side, being super supportive.  Thank you Booga P!!!

And thank you to everyone who has written to me, via comments and email!  And a big thank you to Kerrie, also of MagKnits fame, for helping me out!  I am turning this over to a lawyer and I'm going to try to get back to my normal life before my head explodes from the stress!

Weekend plans -- a trip to The Fold with Theresa for some *much* needed fiber therapy!