Showing posts with label swap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label swap. Show all posts

Monday, March 3

swap update

So my project for Leo for the Baby a Baby Swap has been put on hold for a bit while I do some computer freelancing and also catchup on my backlog of ring slings that needed to be made... but today in the mail I received something I found on etsy for him... I think it's great, and it's something I think that he'll really enjoy. I know when I unpacked it, Peanut got these huge eyes and was so excited... she loved it, but after a couple of minutes of her enjoying it, I rescued it so that we can send it on in pristine condition!

Peanut also decided that today was "Pants On Our Head Day." She has never expressed clothing desires before, so POOHD is a whole new story... Welcome to the realm of a toddler expressing her will! Here's a picture of her reading her favorite book... with pants on her head. And yes, her tshirt has candy canes on it. So? You gotta problem with that?

Friday, February 15

Baby a Baby Contest

So, fellow yarn-aficionados...

It's time to start giving away some of that jewelry!

This contest is only open to participants in the Baby a Baby Swap - sorry to my other readers - but keep watching... there'll be another giveaway soon. As you can see here, the prize is a lovely set of drop earrings as well as a handy around-the-neck-holder-of-stuff. Perhaps you're like my crocheting friend who can never find her scissors? Or maybe it's your glasses that are always just out of reach... Use this to keep them right at hand. The jewelry is by Erin, and it's really lovely.I've been trying to think of a fun contest for you all to do. Since I haven't had any brilliant dashes of inspiration, how about this... Leave a comment on this post about the quality you most look for in a mate. If you're married or in a relationship, what was it that attracted you to this person? If you're not, then what do you most want in your future someone?

(I have romance on the brain right now as we just had V-day and our anniversary is only a couple of days away...)

I am not going to judge the answers, but I'll take all of the eligible comments and draw out of a hat. I'll do that on Monday morning, so I can put the jewelry in that afternoon's mail!

Sunday, February 10

i got tagged!

All righty then, I was tagged by Annalea over at The Passionate Mind to reveal 7 random facts about myself. Hmm... The sad part is, I was tagged by I Speak Beanish a long time ago, and I was such a booger that it's taken me double-tags to get around to doing it!

Okay, here goes... Here's the rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.


1. I have an insane phobia of cotton balls. Not really a phobia, since I don't think they are out to get me or anything, but I just hate the feeling of them. So much so that I am physically cowering in my desk chair as I type this out, and I'm more than a little sick to my stomach. GROSS. I have psychoanalyzed myself to the point of realizing that this comes from my violent hatred of vitamins from when I was a child. We had to take these Shaklee multivitamins, and while I have nothing against either Shaklee or vitamins, those were pretty much the most disgusting thing I've ever smelled in my life. They were giant, green and smelled like rotting something-or-other. And before you could get to these delicacies, you had to pull the cotton out of the jar. So the squeakiness of the cotton (do you know what I mean?) is tied to the whole experience in my head. Cornstarch has a similar grating feel, and so I'm not too comfortable with that, either. Okay, I only touch it when ABSOLUTELY necessary.

(Pause while I regain my composure and quell my nausea with a little caffeine-free Coke. ICK!)

2. When I was in highschool, my Mom wanted me to go to the Milwaukee School of Engineering, so that I could take advantage of the seriously good male-female ratio, and find myself a Catholic engineer. I didn't, and went to a Catholic college out in Ohio instead. Two years after finishing my MA there, I found myself a Catholic engineer on the internet. She knew that an engineer would be great for me, but just had the "how" a little off... I am still impressed.

3. I went to the National Junior Classical League conventions for three years in highschool (it's for Latin students)... and loved it! I got to go to Knoxville, TN, Lawrence, KA and Indianapolis, IN for a week at a time and compete and hang out with Latin students from all over the country. The highlight of the week was the "Certamen" competition, much like a quiz bowl, except that the questions were in categories such as "Latin derivatives," "Roman private life," "mythology, "Greek and Roman history," or "Latin grammar," to name a few. My senior year, I was one of the four-member team from WI, and we won NATIONALS! This was a huge feat, especially as we were not one of the four states that typically won....

4. I have a small diamond-shaped birthmark on my belly, and over the last couple of years, I've developed a couple dark freckles right in the middle of it. Needless to say, Peanut will occasionally latch on to it in order to crack me up. It does resemble my, um, normal milk-producing locations... just flatter.

5. I am a really good cook. I don't typically follow recipes, but play with flavors and textures and come up with things that are quite good. Ask Mister... he's gained more weight than he wanted since he met me. What can I say? It tastes so good he doesn't like to stop eating!

6. I am a total Catholic nerd. My particular hobby is Catholic saints - I love reading about their lives, and realizing people who lived centuries ago are so closely connected to us. Some of my personal favorites include Miguel Pro, Edmund Campion, Margaret Clitherow and Maximilian Kolbe, if I had to narrow it down to a few! We're hoping to name our first son after a somewhat obscure saint, but I definitely can't share that information here, as we want to keep it a secret.

7. I am a lazy bum when it comes to housework. I would rather read a book than do the dishes, any day. It's something I'm struggling with - and actually have been ever since I was old enough to start helping with chores when I was little. My mother would not be surprised at all to hear that I struggle with this, I can tell you that! I have a tendency to quick rush around and clean up breakfast while I'm making dinner... and then I'm embarrassed if Mister comes home early and realizes this!

Okay. Phew. There's seven. Um... as for tagging seven, I think I'm going to go with: Cellular Lola, my best friend since I can remember... Teresa at Glimpses of Galway, since I can't seem to find her more recent blog... Groovy at the groovyoldlady... Shannon at a Reforming Mom... Chris at Serendipity Mine... Amy at Raising Angels... and whoever else might possibly stumble across this post!

Thursday, February 7

Lent? Already!?

Wow... seriously, it feels like we just took down our Christmas tree. That liturgical year sneaks up on me everytime...

This year I've decided to try something new. Each week, I'm going to add something to my Lenten practices, whether that be making another sacrifice or adding something to my routine. That way, by the end of Lent, it should be pretty intense, and should really make me aware of what's happening.

I'm not sure what each week is going to look like yet, but this week (and then for all the remaining weeks), we'll be returning to our practice of a daily Rosary. We are normally horrible with this, and many months can go between our family Rosaries. I have to say, with Peanut around, it's a lot harder. Last night, she just wouldn't go to sleep (darn those late afternoon inadvertent naps when she just falls asleep on the floor!)... and so we ended up going to bed, turning out the lights, and praying in the dark, hoping that the repetition combined with the dark and cuddling with Mama in bed would put her to sleep. Basically, she just flipped out. Mister got to lead the prayers while I was on containment duty - she was more spastic than I've ever seen her! (Of course, she fell asleep moments after it was done. Darn kid!)

So. Daily Rosary. Next week, I'm going to return to my daily gym routine. Oof. This is one that knocks me right in my lazy patootie. So we're starting out with spiritual and physical discipline. Who knows what's coming next??

On a completly unrelated note, I'm very busy with my project for the Baby a Baby swap - and can I say that I am thrilled with the way it looks? My craft night buddies are loving it, too...

Wednesday, January 30

Baby A Baby Swap


One of my blogging buddies, Top Hat, is hosting a new swap - it's called "Baby A Baby!" It looks like a lot of fun, and basically is for people that love yarn and love baby stuff. That is DEFINITELY me. So... without further ado, here's my answers to the introductory questionnaire for the swap-a-roo! Hurry up and go join before the deadline (which is really soon because I procrastinated on this one!) if you're interested!

1) What is your favorite yarn? Favorite colors? What is your least favorite?

You know, I've never been a picky yarn-er when it comes to natural fibers / unnatural fibers. I have a tendency to go unnatural, just because they're cheaper and I have access to them. I'm not a big fan of the eyelash yarns, but used in moderation, they can add a lot of punch to your project. Favorite colors? For me, I usually like earthier tones, less saturated colors, but for baby? I'm all over bright pastels! I usually tend to go pretty simple in mixing colors - I'm not a daring forty-seven color mixer in a project - one or two satisfy me.

2) Knit, crochet, both?

Crochet.

3) How long have you been knitting/crocheting? Who taught you? Why did you want to learn?

My mom taught me how to knit when I was little, but it never stuck. In college, my household (a sorority crossed with a prayer group) sisters found yarn to be extremely therapeutic, and our business meetings always went better with a lot of yarn involved. I tried knitting again, and tried crocheting as well, and found crocheting to be much more tactile, which I loved. I have to say I don't remember who exactly taught me (it was 10 years ago) but it was definitely one of my sisters.

4) What is your favorite snack/sweet?

Oh, interesting question. I like munchies a lot. I love potato chips (there's nothing quite like them!), trail mixes (but without chocolate, they're not quite as good!), almonds, semisweet chocolate, dark chocolate, mint chocolate, peanut butter and chocolate, crunchy chocolate.... etc! I'm mostly dairy-free for this year, so no milk chocolate or caramel for me at the moment!

5) What did you want to be when you grew up?

A chiropractor. My grandfather, great uncle, uncle, first-cousin-once-removed and dad are all chiropractors. I never fulfilled that dream, but my little brother just went back to school for it, and he's going to join my dad in his practice after graduation. In my family, we all fulfill each other's dreams. Seriously. I have fulfilled my mom's dreams. I should post on that sometime. It's interesting.

6) What names would you NEVER consider for a baby?

Tatum. (It sounds like something a two year old would make up). Dallas. (A city name? Really, that is what you want to name your child after?) Madison. (Presidential last names do not make good girl's first names. Taylor also fits that category). I'm very much a traditional namer. I want my children's names to not scream a time period when you hear it.

7) What things did you, as a child, vow to never to do your children, but have since decided that you will? For example, we weren't allowed sugar-coated cereal growing up and I told my parents I'd NEVER do that to my kids. After some life experience, I think my parents were pretty smart in that decision.

I told myself I would never ever call my daughter "girly girl." I hated that. Passionately hated that. Yeah, I call her that all the time. Oops.

8) What is your favorite thing about being a parent/expectant parent?

This changes as she changes. Currently, it's being able to communicate with her through baby sign language, and watching her realize that she can tell me what she wants... we make jokes and share secret communication - and she can't talk...