My first sweater

It took me a long time, although not as long as I had feared (years?). I knit my first adult sweater (more of a cardigan I suppose).




Finished knitting and binding off on my girls' weekend away this past Saturday (aka Hella Bitch). Blocked it when I got home. Sewed on buttons today. And I don't want to ever take it off!
For those of you curious, the pattern is February Lady Sweater - commonly known as FLS - and the yarn is Mirasol Qina (bamboo and alpaca).

For more alpaca fun - here's what are keeping my hands warm this fall:


I truly enjoy fingerless mitts. They are perfect for typing, driving, and knitting...

Even Less Waste and my Lil Helper

A delightful package arrived in my driveway yesterday afternoon courtesy of the kind folks at the regional Waste Management facility. Our green bin composter. These things take nearly everything. I admit to taking the teeniest bit of pleasure this morning scooping used cat litter refuse into a paper bag to be composted. The excitement will wear off soon enough and I'll be left simply scooping poop, but for now it's "cool". We still have our backyard composter for yard waste. I won't be restarting a vermicomposter soon since I don't imagine I'll keep up with it properly as I should - and I already destroyed it once. Perhaps I will wait until Abi is older and can enjoy helping with the composter. In particular, she can sort the "black gold" out of the bin. I always put off doing that, and in the end it led to the demise of the worms last Winter.

I don't imagine it will be hard to teach Abi to put things in the compost. She already enjoys putting things in the garbage (and usually it is actually garbage, except for that time she put 3 pieces of banana peel in the garbage followed by the banana) and the recycling basket. She also helps with laundry - putting wet clothes into the dryer and pulling dry clothes out. She's very good at that. If only she were tall enough to reach into the washer... Damn, should have got the front-loader... And she needs to learn to fold the clothes still. Hmm, I suppose I might have to start giving her an allowance! I wonder if she'd clean the kitty litter... ick - I'm imagining she'd be more likely to want to play in it...

Thanksgiving

From our family to yours - Happy Thanksgiving. We hope it was filled with delicious food and good company. Just like ours was.

We were blessed with not one, but two delicious meals - and we didn't have to cook a single turkey! Robin happily baked pumpkin pie for our first dinner and whipped together a carrot salad accented with fresh herbs from the garden (just before the frost hit Monday morning!). Monday night I prepared acorn squash with apples (and spices and all that good stuff - and I made up the recipe I might add proudly). It was well received - as were Robin's dishes, but who doesn't love Robin's cooking? (Except for Abi on occasion.)

There was something else from this week I meant to blog about for you.
While I try to remember, I'll also inform you that you can see Abi and I on the local Global news Tuesday evening. I was approached at the Thanksgiving Day parade and asked for my opinion about polka. Huh? That was pretty much my initial response. Polka music. More specifically, apparently there is some "save the polka" thing in response to the Grammy's cutting out the category of Polka music. I learned all this during the interview of course because - who cares?! That is to say, I don't care. Even if I watched the Grammys (which I occasionally do) for the awards, I'm sure I would have been watching a commercial when the Polka awards were given out. Anyhow, what I really said at that early hour of the day, after rolling out of bed and straight out the door at 8:30am because some crazy beer-drinking Oktoberfest organizers think it's a good idea to have a parade at 0830h... what I really said was more like "I don't know. I don't really have a vested interest in polka music." And then after he explained the issue, I added something about cultural music, and grammy award competition (apparently the same people keep winning the polka award) and understanding the perspective of the awards committee. Pretty much giving my opinion on something I didn't have an opinion on two minutes earlier - all because someone insisted I should have an opinion on this issue and stuck a microphone and camera in my face and I felt obliged to have an opinion...
And THAT is what I get for dressing Abi and I up in our adorable handmade witch hats - which always draws good attention.
After wandering off to gather more opinions, the crew returned and started filming Abi and I from multiple angles as we watched the parade. So I guess that pretty much solidified that we would be featured in the news broadcast. On the plus side - Abi IS cute... and I had her bundled up in her cutest purple sweater, her witch hat, babywearing with the orange wrap, and cuddling with the orange babywearing blanket I made that ties on. Hmm, maybe I should have been nursing too. lol (okay, that was a quiet laugh because it's 1am and I don't want to wake Abi.)
No, I don't have photos because it's rather hard to take a picture of myself like this and I really did roll out of bed, so there was little preparation involved. (Robin had to work.)
You'll just have to watch the news if you can.

Evidently, I can't sleep, despite waking far too early for my tastes this morning. (Matter of Taste cappuccino helped a little this morning.)
I'm still trying to remember...

Oh yes, Abi had her first dentist appointment last week. It went very well - that is to say, it wasn't a bad experience for her. However, the dentist did confirm my suspicions that Abi has tooth decay. Crappy. Fortunately, the teeth are not soft and she doesn't need fillings or surgery (yet). We are taking more preventative measures, including applying some pastes and gels to her teeth to help strengthen them and slow down the decay. And while it is easy to say "they're just baby teeth", she does need them for another 5-7 years yet. It is her lateral incisors that are in the worst condition.

Hard to believe it's mid October already. We're expecting a visit from Robin's dad by the end of the month and we're off to Montreal in November for a conference and to visit family. And that, my friends, is the latest update.

Photos? Yeah yeah. I'll get some up when I get some and download them. Now that Abi's in childcare during the days, I have fewer opportunities to take pictures and we're often too busy on the weekend.

Oh, oh - the other big news around here is that both our sisters are engaged. On my side, that's somewhat old news now (a month ago?), but Robin's sister is very newly engaged. We'll be home this summer for my sister's wedding (on our anniversary no less), but no date/location set yet for the other wedding. Yay for weddings I don't have to plan! Wait - what exactly are the responsibilities of a maid of honour who lives out of town???

Fantastic Weekend

It's been a whirlwind of fun this weekend! There was one snag though - Abi got sick. Fortunately, for the most part she was her usual happy self - just a snotty-faced, sometimes sleepy, happy self. And a little more cuddly.
Friday was Robin's surprise party at home. I'm still amazed that I managed to pull this off! It was a little more difficult with Abi having to come home Friday at noon because she threw up at daycare (and not since), but I was able to get everything ready. And Robin never knew! He was watching TV in the basement while people arrived. I told him I had some girls coming over - implying a healing circle or something - so he knew not to come upstairs. Yes, it worked out perfectly - and the only reason it succeeded was because every time I would feel myself getting excited about the surprise party, I would cover it up by talking about the Hip concert I won tickets to.

We had a lot of fun at the games night Friday surprise party - with the help of a living room full of friends.

These are his birthday mittens.

Saturday night we were in Hamilton for the Tragically Hip concert. 5th row. Free tickets. What more could one ask for? I don't think I need to tell fans that it was an AWESOME concert. They put on one hell of a show.Sunday morning Robin ran the Run for the Cure by himself. Abi wasn't feeling up to joining him. She slept in instead and we weren't about to wake a sleeping sick baby.

Special thanks to all who donated to the Run for the Cure - not just if you donated to Robin. And thank you again to friends who joined us in celebrating Robin's not-yet-30th birthday.

A little excited

Yesterday was a mini Christmas for me as I culled the clothes that no longer fit her (or never did because they were too wide) from Abi's drawers and added newly washed clothes pulled from the storage bins. I forget how many clothes I have stored away until it's time to sort through them! Abi has recently outgrown her PJs, or maybe it was a while back that she did but we didn't notice because she rarely wears one-piece PJs in the summer. Regardless, I was afraid I'd need more PJs now that the cool weather has descended. Then I remembered to open the bins... and found 8 pairs of PJs in addition to the ones that still fit. I think we're good. (Thanks to V and mom.)

I've updated the word list on the left column of the blog. I keep forgetting to add words and I frequently hear a word and think "oh yeah, she's said that for a while now, I forgot". I don't know how I forget, but I do. Probably because they seem so common now. Words like book, which she's said for a long time. Duck is newer, but it's a favourite. And she's recently picked up "bee-bo" from Sandra Boynton's Belly Button Book. Why? I don't know! But she loves that book and as soon as she shoves it in your hand she's saying "bee-bo". I do love Boynton's fun books. Have you seen the video for I Want to be Your Personal Penguin? It's fabulous. I gave that book to a friend.



I'm happy to report that Abi still loves daycare! A full day of playing with kids (plus a good nap). What more could my little extrovert ask for? She also uses the potty at daycare - which was something I feared she would regress on - and she still uses it at home. For a couple days she was waking on her own around 8am, but today was yet another struggle to get her up. This is only week three - I am hopeful she'll adjust her night-time sleep pattern. Last night she took a nap late in the evening (just fell asleep!) for about 30 minutes, which threw off her sleep schedule. And she had a good 2 hour nap at daycare. It's flu season though, so I imagine her body is busy combating viruses. And growing. You know, kid stuff like that :)

I'll update you on our fabulous weekend when it's over. So many wonderful, fun things planned! Oh yes, many wonderful things. I did mention 5th row at the Hip concert, right? Free tickets no less. I still can't believe I actually won! I had initially thought to buy tickets when they first went on sale - as a birthday gift for Robin - but at $90 a ticket (plus whatever other charges they add), it just wasn't in the budget. I remember when concert tickets were $20... Granted, I was a young teen (a little over a decade ago) at the time and living in Winnipeg... Yes, it's been a while since I attended a concert (the occasional day-long or weekend fest, but few single-act concerts). I had thought maybe $40 for tickets now. Silly me. It doesn't matter, because we're going for free now!

Happy Birthday Robin!

Today I won 5th row tickets for us to see The Tragically Hip on Saturday.
Best birthday gift ever!
I rock! Thanks to Y108.

Bulking up for the Run

Mmmmm. Ribs. Abi's getting ready for the big Run - the Run for the Cure for breast cancer.
Robin is very proud of his daughter here. (Ed, I bet you are too!)

Running for the Cure!

On October 4th Robin and Abby will be running for the cure in memory of Abby's grandmother Marion. If you wish to sponsor them, please visit https://www.cibcrunforthecure.com/html/p.asp?t=3670889&l=1

Thank you for your support and we will be sure to post photos.
In the meantime, here are a couple from last year's Run for the Cure.

Babywearing Week

In honour of International BabyWearing Week, I wanted to share this slideshow of Abi and babywearing.

Confessions - Because being aware helps

I confess that I have struggled for many years with being an impulse shopper. I come by it naturally. [*cough*dad*mom*cough*cough*]
In my defense, I am also a good-deals shopper and I shop most often at second-hand shops - which sometimes makes it all the more difficult to curb my habits. "It's such a good deal!"... We'll "go broke saving money" as my dad always said. (Funny that he said that considering his spending habits.)
Witness my yarny-goodness the other weekend (photo slideshow below in the blog!) at the Knitters Fair. Oh, I got incredible deals, but I still bought a lot of yarn - all of which is going in my stash for unknown future use. But it was a good deal! And, I'll use it eventually! Yep - one day I knit all those shawls and socks and sweaters in my Ravelry queue. (I should add, I received a gift of money to spend how I wished.)
Today I had to go to (ugh) Walmart to pick up Robin's pre-ordered copy of the new Halo3 game. (I know what Robin's doing tonight...) While there I thought I should buy toothpaste (we're at the point of squeeze-the-last-inch-out). On my way over to that aisle, I happened to pass by the toys... and see the 50th Anniversary Smurfs set on for a mere $10. I was (still am, but inactive) a Smurfs collector. My dad always brought me new Smurfs from Germany when I was kid and of course I grew up watching the cartoons. I've never been an avid collector, but I have 100+ pieces including figurines, mushroom houses, and the windmill. I'm confident that Abi will receive the DVDs over the next few years - from my parents - and she'll inherit my collection.
Apparently, I missed the announcement last year that the Smurfs were ready to conquer the world again - according to Time. I missed the invasion. This was to be part of the 50th Anniversary come-back. I guess that's why a year later I'm finding the special edition stuffed toy, golden figurine, DVD, and original sketch replica on sale for only $10. (According to Amazon, it retailed for $30 US).
As you can see - a steal of a deal for a Smurf collector. But an unnecessary purchase ultimately... I mean, it's a future Yule gift. Maybe for me!

But it didn't stop there today. No, I still had to buy dog food at the pet store, which is right next to the Hand Me Downs store. I felt compelled to stop in for a moment - because you have to stop in frequently at second-hand shops to find what you want. Lo and behold - three beautiful Groovy Girls were waiting there for me for only $5 each. I swear these ones are being stored for the future. Particularly the one with a purse. However, now that I know how much Abi enjoys these dolls, and given that we will not be buying Bratz, Barbie or other similar dolls I feel very justified in picking up a small collection of Groovy Girls for her to play with - especially when they are second-hand and usually in brand new condition.

So you see, I have a shopping problem. I've been much better at controlling myself since marrying Robin - who is the furthest thing from a shopaholic I know. Security cameras at stores must think I'm hilarious - picking up an item, talking to myself as I debate if I need it, walking about the store as I pick up needed items, eventually (literally) saying "no!", putting it back... Today I said no to many things. Maybe I should be proud of what I didn't buy.

One last confession - I also stopped at McDonalds inside Walmart. *gasp* I've heard that McDs coffee is better than Timmies. I'm not a big fan of Tim's coffee - but it's convenient. Now I can say with certitude from my own experience, that McDonalds coffee is better than Tim Hortons coffee. But still not as good as a local Cafe with Fairly Traded coffee. And since I don't go to McD's - except for almost never - I don't imagine I'll be drinking much more of their coffee. Nevertheless, now I know.