-:- tsp vs. tbsp

Life around here is starting to normalize a bit - and lately I've focused on developing some to-do lists that include one or two deliciously optional tasks. Like take a bath (any length of time is acceptable). Read one chapter of Harry Potter to DR while she nurses. Knit one row. Call a girlfriend. Take a walk.

Today's to-do list included baking a chocolate cake. DR sat in the kitchen with me while I gave her an introduction to fractions and explained the differences between tsp and tbsp, baking soda and baking powder, and dry measuring cups and liquid measuring cups.

I also told her about how I learned the difference between the tsp/tbsp abbreviations the hard way when I was nine and tried to bake some pirate biscuits from a book I had gotten from the library. It called for several tsps of salt and I used tbsps, giving me a not-so-edible result. It was pretty upsetting too, because then I didn't have anything authentic to eat while I pillaged and plundered in the backyard.

Anyway, thankfully my baking has improved over the years and this cake was definitely edible - delicious, even - and making it was a perfect exercise for us today.
Recipe here.

xox

-:- homemade outfit

Just a few words today since my dominant hand is not currently available to help with typing. This wee bairn is five weeks old today and, weighing in at ten and a half pounds, can thankfully still fit into this little outfit I made for her before she was born. The top had been waiting patiently for a button and for its ends to be woven in, which I finally got around to this afternoon.

Composite top -:- free pattern -:- raveled here

Made by Rae pants -:- free pattern

xox

-:- hazy and magical

Our daughter, DR, was born on May 17th after an intense and beautiful labor.

At birth, she was 21 inches long and weighed 8 lbs, 8 oz - a weight she returned to before she was a week old. She is strong-willed and physically strong as well, traits I knew she had before I met her. Her days are filled with wordlessly bossing us around. Our days are filled with obeying her.

Everything seems hazy and magical - moments, days, and now weeks blend into each other, giving us some of our very best memories in the middle of exhaustion and unbrushed teeth. And through it all, we are overwhelmed by this totally unconditional love that we feel for her - it's almost heartbreaking to love someone that much. I honestly didn't know it was possible.

xox

-:- making and doing

My first trimester wasn't a ton of fun. They usually aren't, from what I understand, and mine was no exception. I was suddenly a very picky eater and foods that I usually loved were making me feel sick - this made me sadder than anything - I hated having food aversions.

But soon after I started my second trimester, a lot of that went away. I've just reintroduced spinach into my diet (and only in small amounts or ways that make it nearly invisible, like adding it to smoothies) and Mexican food and I are still not friends - but other than that, I'm happy to eat most anything that I encounter.

Best of all, my hands have started making and doing things again. I broke out my butters and oils and made an experimental belly balm for my tummy. (I really love it for nighttime, but am working on a formula that will be better for morning or daytime use.)

I started cutting cloth to make bibs, hooded towels, baby washcloths, and burp cloths. Mr. and I have grand plans for making some custom (potato) printed swaddling blankets sometime this December. And I'm back to knitting whenever my feet aren't touching the ground. Thanks to my amazing husband, this happens quite a bit.

We're moving through these colder days slowly, enjoying every minute of this amazing season we're in. Making and doing - and happily experiencing all of these new moments.

xox

-:- winter temperatures

Well, winter temperatures have definitely arrived here in Minnesota.

This morning, as we approached our car, I noticed our front seats were covered in chunks of ice. It made me so confused - all of our windows were up, so no moisture had come from outside - did someone break into our car and sprinkle bits of ice around? I thought Minnesotans were too nice for practical jokes.

I opened the doors and upon further examination, there was ice everywhere. It was covering the ceiling, stuck to the roof liner. It was on the dashboard, filling cup holders, all over the floor and covering every seat in the car. And then we noticed the source of this ice:

A single can of sparkling water had exploded during the night when the temperatures dropped.

It became the funniest thing in the world to us - we could hardly believe it. Lesson learned - and we feel a bit more like actual Minnesotans for having learned it. No cans of anything will be left in the car overnight after October. Thank goodness we're not soda people or we would have had a sticky, hard-to-clean mess on our hands.

xox

P.S. Thank you all so much for your congratulations and well-wishes about our little one! We are so excited and I loved sharing the news with you guys. More to come on that topic, I'm sure.

-:- updates and news

It has been quite awhile since we last met in this space - thank you for sticking around despite my absence! Here are a few updates, in numbers.

# of cavities filled:

Four. Since I've never had a cavity filled before in my life, that was altogether an intriguing and terrifying experience. You can bet I have regular dentist appointments back on my calendar.

# of rocks found for a border in our front yard:

500 million. A few weeks back, we gave our yard some much-needed TLC in the form of some newspaper, mulch, a trip to our city's compost site, and rocks that we used to make a border between a bed in our front yard and the yard itself. Our neighbor liked our rocks so much that she asked if she could copy us! Everything is looking so much better and now we are prepped for some wonderful gardening next year.

# of garlic bulbs planted:

63. Or something like that. We got together with a few fellow community gardeners to plant some garlic off-site. It was a lot of fun and I can't wait until next year when we get to eat all of it up. It also eventually led to Mr. becoming part of the garden steering committee for next year! He's leading his first meeting next week and where I would be a bundle of nerves, he is as cool as a cucumber.

# of visitors:

Two. We had my parents here for two weekends in a row, which was such a wonderful treat. I don't have any pictures of our visit, but I do have a skein of yarn that I purchased while they were here - I think it's destined to become a pair of souvenir house socks.

# of knitting projects completed:

Two. Both hats, one for me, one for a dear friend's cat. Several other projects have been started, but up until recently, progress has been slow.

# of books read:

Zero. I don't think I've ever gone this long without finishing a book, but I'm remedying that now. I picked up an Agatha Christie book at the library last weekend, without knowing much about the author or her work, and have discovered my perfect mystery book - complete with gorgeous pre-war British language. Love.

# of good reasons I have for not knitting, reading, or blogging in the last few months:

One. And it's such a special, exciting excuse to have. We are thrilled.

xox

-:- what to do with a million tomatoes...and counting

Make a million tomato, onion, and mayo sandwiches on fresh bread from the Farmer's Market. Instead of pairing your sandwich with chips or fries, pair it with more tomatoes. Even after one million of these sandwiches, nobody around here is complaining!

variation 1 -:- yellow tomato on 10 grain bread.

variation 2 -:- red tomato on rosemary bread.

xox