Diapers and knitting

I've pretty much decided that for our next kids (someday folks, someday) we'll start off using cloth diapers. I do a load of laundry every other day anyway. Might as well. I especially decide this everytime Max gets a bout of diaper rash. With every sniffle, cough, virus, cold, and set of shots, Max gets a diaper rash. Sometimes it's just for a change or two, but this time (and a few previous times) it's been major. Like writhing, screaming on the changing table major.

Yesterday I was at my wits end and ended up putting a cloth diaper (used as a burping cloth around here, I have like three I never packed away) on him and held it on with our usual pampers, slathered him in mylanta and petroleum jelly, let him run around outside without anything on (complete with a strange look from a neighbor), and tried to get him to take a bath. I knew this one was bad because he wouldn't sit down, he would lay down or stand but I couldn't make him sit anywhere, not even in the bathtub.

Last night I even woke him to change him before I went to bed so that he wasn't in the same diaper all night. Today it looks a little better (but not much). He had his shots last Monday so it's been a week and a half. Hopefully by the end of this week we'll be completely back to normal.


Yesterday when he wouldn't sit just lay down, and he woke up very upset from his nap (with another dirty diaper)

Here's a picture that needs an explanation.

Today Max is wearing the most appropriate shirt ever. It says Making Mischief and has Max from Where the Wild Things Are. This is actually one of the few clothing items I've ever bought for Max and he just "had" to have it. Also if you click on the picture to make it bigger you might be able to see the bruise on Max's cheek. He has just been destructive in climbing things and then falling. This one even gave him a bloody nose and there were tears involved. As I was typing this sentence he climbed on top a little box he'd pushed in front of the tv stand and attempted to climb on top the stand. Yep, that's normal for us now.

Crafting
I've finished two of the three WIPs (works in progress).

Mom's scarf is done- it was by far the hardest knitting project I had done this far. It still needs blocked, but it's done and ends are weaved in.


And Mr Monkey is modeliing the baby VVS blanket finished yesterday. I did great finishing the blanket and then it took forever to get the fringe on. I was supposed to use up all the yarn you see (that was the point in me making the blanket, to get rid of yarn) but I still had some left over so I made a little matching hat too. And I still have some of the yarn left over.

I also started a new project yesterday. The first of the two blankets for Nick and Kara. They don't know what they are having yet, so I chose brown and green for the blankets. One will have a band of brown with green in the middle and the other will be opposite.

I'm loving the seed stitch that makes the border. So quick. The pattern I'm working is the Big Bad Baby Blanket from the SNB book.

Here's the yarn projects I must complete before buying any new yarn....
Shelly's shawl
two big bad baby blankets
Rylee's hat
Max's hat
two more baby hats
mom's hat
baby sweater
hat and scarf set
mittens

so i thought it had nine projects, but really i have 12! better get my hooks and needles flying because after that it's a bevy of Christmas projects!

Busy-ness of life

I've not gotten to do the things I should and like to do with the busy-ness of life lately.
But here's some things that are flitting through my mind.

Our back yard looks amazing! Thanks Dad and Adam for their hard work this weekend. Adam is making his inaugural mow tonight (we've been paying a teenager to mow it until now).

I love our new chairs on our porch. They aren't what I want for long term out there, but I've sat a good spell on them each day since we've gotten them.

I'm loving the weather this summer here. Today its sunny, breezy and 73. Couldn't be any better.

If you haven't figured it out by now I had a habit of starting a lot of projects at once and then fizzling between them until they are finished. Goal for the day is to finish Mom's cable scarf and the VVS blanket. They are so close to being finished. That leaves one working project (the shawl) and a bazillion I want to start. In fact I've got so much yarn bought for projects I've put myself on a yarn store ban until I finish all the projects that the yarn is downstairs for. That's 6 unstarted projects people. 6! Two baby blankets, three hats (one adult and two childrens), and a baby sweater.

Here's some picture goodies to enjoy

Max had an ice cream cone, Kudos to Adam for suggesting we give it to him while he was in the bathtub. When he was done we just turned on the water.



I was setting up the camera for family pictures this weekend and caught these shots....




And then the family pictures where everyone is acting nice...



Apparently I didn't get the blue memo.

I'm off to my front porch while it's still nap time with some knitting and iced tea.

Minty!

I while back my friend Mary Beth brought me some mint from her garden. It was weeks ago. To be honest I totally forgot about it. It got stuck in the back of the fridge and left there, until today. I thought of it there in the fruit crisper and used trusty google to find out what to do with it. Luckily the mint was still ok, it hadn't molded or anything. It still smelled fresh too.

I found these instructions and used the "microwave" method. Anything to cut some time out and who can leave their oven door open? Really? I'd like to try and keep Max away from that one.
It literally took me two minutes to dry all the mint. One minute to get all the leaves off the stem and one minute to dry it. I have them sitting and cooling now in a little plastic container to make sure all the moisture is gone, and then I'll be making some tea. I should have saved some to make tea with while fresh, but I wasn't thinking. But my whole house and especially my hands smell wonderful!

Otherwise, we're getting ready for guests this weekend (are there many weekends where we don't have guests?) and I'm trying to catalogue the books we have using Shelfari. If you are interested, there's also Library Thing and another one that's escaping my mind right now. It will be great to have them all organized. I do quite often say, "Do we have that book already?" I guess that's what happens when there's so many books you have read or want to read. But hmmm, I never have to wonder, "Do I already have that yarn?" I know every yarn I have by heart.

Today I've been watching (in between laundry and drying mint and knitting) Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? Hilarious old Tony Randall movie from the 50's. These types of movies always remind me of my mom. We used to sit and watch these oldies (but grandies!) any time we could. Normally while we were cleaning on a Saturday or on rainy days while she would normally be working on paperwork or one of her projects on the couch. my favorites are still The Greatest Show on Earth and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Well those are my favorites that don't involve Rock Hudson and Doris Day, that is. I think it's the music numbers that hook me. Such a grand and glorious time. Oh and the clothes! I love them.

Lavender- Oh I love Lavender

Lavender is my favorite scent. Basil and clean cotton are right up there, but there's something about lavender that makes me so happy.

So imagine my sheer joy last week when I won my sister in law's contest on her blog for culinary lavender (they went to a real life Lavender Farm!) and I received it the other day. I put it in the kitchen and smelled the little package each time I walked by.

Today I made one of the recipes she included with the packet, it was this recipe for Honey Lavender Biscotti. It really is delicious. I cut some time off the recipe on both bakings, only 20 minutes for the first one and 10 for the second. I also used just a smidge of orange juice instead of zest because I didn't have an orange. It's so good, I just had a couple of pieces dipped in warmed up vanilla coffee from this morning. The biscotti good, the coffee not so much. Max even loved it (dipped in the coffee). Have we talked about how my son loves coffee already? Of course I don't let him really have it, but oh goodness. Already?



(Max signing please asking for more)
I can't wait to try the other recipe Laura sent for Cottage Cheese Herb Bread using some more of the lavender this weekend for when family's in town. YUM!

We are having a serious obsession in our house with Mickey Mouse (affectionately called Hot Dog). The stuffed version is being carried around day and night, the scrap book I'm working on has lovely little finger prints because of it's Disney nature, Tigger (from Pooh) is getting called Hot Dog also because of his likeness to Pluto as far as I can figure, and if the tv is on Max constantly points at it, says "Hot Dog" and signs please, repeat that 4000 times a day and that's what my day is like. Sometimes if the tv is not on, he'll turn it on and repeat the same. I'm so glad he loves something I can at least tolerate. you kno, it's not the wiggles, it's educational, and Disney is something Adam and I both have a love for. And at least it's not the Disney Princesses.

Max's Stats...

Max went for his 15 month checkup today. He weighed 27lb 10oz (86%) and was 32" (76%) tall. This is a weight gain of 3lbs but with a growth of 2". He's quite tall and lean now, if you haven't noticed in the pictures. Clothes that were fitting are a little big again. but his shorts actually look like shorts instead of capri pants.

He got shots again, and he's finally caught up on all his vaccinations. We've had a quiet day and praying he doesn't get a fever and reaction. It's a great day for quiet, it's rainy and dark.

Photo Shoot

Along with our busy Saturday Adam and I took to the back yard with Max to have a little photo shoot. I was organizing some old photos (on the computer) and Adam made mention of us not having done this in a while, so off we went! I even had a few moments to do a little editing of them this afternoon while Adam entertained Max. It so fun and so nice to have a whole completed project.

Here are a few of my favorites:















Ok, so it was more than a "few" but considering I took 271 pictures off the camera, edited them down to 76 and only posted 14 here for you, I'm considering it a "few."

A weekend in photos

We've had a busy weekend-

Friday, we went to a fish fry with friends at a local sportsman club. We ate, had great conversation, and took a walk around the lake.





Max also decided the best place to read is right in this little wagon of his.


This morning we checked out another Farmer's Market (thanks Heidi for the suggestion!) and though we didn't purchase anything, I want to go back again. It was so much fun!

We then walked around Bradley University campus and had lunch, on the way back we were trying to keep Max awake so that he could take his nap when he got home. He was so sleepy, we kept singing songs and tickling him. By the end he would just keep his eyes closed and talk to us or laugh at us, it was so darn cute!



This weekend is also the Washington Arts Festival. We arranged to meet a couple from church there to walk around together and grab dinner, but we didn't know they closed all the booths for the day at 5pm. We were too late! Max and I will just have to venture up there tomorrow afternoon while Adam's playing softball. But they did still have live entertainment and so after dinner we let Max run around the square and entertain everyone with his dancing and spinning.