Sticks

I picked up two skeins of yarn from Hope Spinnery ast the Common Ground Fair. I had all of these grand ideas about knitting something stripy. And then the yarns knitted up at completely different gauges. And then one didn't feel as soft as the other. And then I ended up starting a solid-color hat. And then I didn't even have enough yarn to finish the hat.



Last night I cast-on for hat #2 with a completely different yarn. I need suggestions for this lovely mustard-colored yarn. A buttoned cowl, maybe?

and, non-stick related:

-Chris and I are leaving today for two glorious kid-filled days in the Valley. We're going to visit all of our favorite restaurants and catch a Girlyman show on Saturday. I'm hella excited. We haven't been away alone since 2004, and that trip involved a lot of pregnancy-related puking.

-I went to family court this morning with my mother. She's in the middle of a divorce. Family court is incredibly depressing. I always end up feeling really bad for the judges. That bullshit must get old.

-I wish I could fast-forward through winter. The real cold hasn't even started and I'm already done with it. I am dreading being stuck in the house for days with the kids.

-

Common Ground

+ no real responsibility beyond keeping track of my wallet
yummy food
good company
lazy morning eating grapefruit and reading paper in tent
fiber and corresponding animals
Chris' expensive North Face sleeping bag
lots of walking
cute children who didn't belong to me
good coffee
hypoallergenic horses

- the hippies & their djembes and didgeridoos
the freaking coldest night i have ever spent in a tent
no showers/running water

sticks

Annabelle's birthday sweater, finished a day after her birthday

.

score!

I spotted this cute mug at Savers yesterday. I don't really understand my obsession with vintage Corelle/Pyrex/Fire King, but whatever. It's not like I'm compulsively buying fine china or shit that doesn't get used.

So, I thought this was cute, and it reminded me of one I had when I was little. But I have this habit of looking up thrift store scores online, just to see how much they're worth...
And now I can't drink out of it, because that design is apparently very rare and people are willing to pay $200 for it. And the one I have is in brand-new condition.

Field Trip Friday

Today we joined the Colucci clan for a trip to the Puppetry Museum at UConn Storrs. The campus was one of the most depressing I've ever seen. When I was telling Chris about it, he was like, "oh yeah, that's the campus with a correctional facility across the street." I asked the girls who worked at the museum about a college coffee shop, they directed us to a Dunkin' Donuts. pshaw. I believe that every college town needs at least one independent coffee shop.

The museum was cool, but not really kid-friendly. There were some really amazing diorama-type puppety things. I was kind of surprised that Bread & Puppet wasn't mentioned/displayed anywhere.

After we left, we went for a lunch/dinner at The Vanilla Bean Cafe. We had passed it on the way, and I was intrigued by the name and prospect of coffee, but I was actually running on time and didn't stop. Definitely a place I'd return to. For our last stop, we hit up Roseland Park in Woodstock. We stayed until the park closed. Wild folk, we are.

sticks

Next weekend, Jenn and I are camping at the Common Ground Fair. While I'm freaking excited for a kid-free weekend, I'm not anticipating a warm kid-free weekend. I'm going to start digging out the woolies this week...

I have three projects I'm pretty intent on finishing before then. I promised I'd knit somehting for Chris, and he requested another headband. I almost wish he had requested a hat instead. The headband is draggggging. I'm saving this one for last though, since Chris is heading to Las Vegas on Sunday. I'm sure he won't need a woolen headband out there.

I started these last spring. They're still not done. Debating between a sewn and tubular bind-off. I know my life is a-okay because I actually have the time to worry about which bind-off will look/act better.

I also started a pair of legwarmers for myself. Shockingly, they have actual bright colors in them. I usually prefer earthtones. I have no idea what got into me. I'm also on a striped underwear kick. I've been tearing up Marshall's in search of striped cotton underwear. They're not easy to find.

(also)

I squeezed into a pair of pre-Annabelle pants yesterday.

Definitely too tight to wear out, but hello, old Carhartts. I missed you.

you spin me right round

I met a friend at Purgatory Chasm the other day for a little hiking and playground time. They've re-done the playground, and it's way fancier than it used to be. I thought they would have ditched the potential lawsuit, but they souped it up instead. '








back when it was old school, in '03.


we saw 3 different kids with merry-go-round related injuries in the 1.5 hours we were there. ouch.

(also)
i need a hiking buddy. i really want to go hiking more, but don't feel entirely comfortable traipsing around in the woods alone (with 3 kids).

Countdown to Fall

I've *almost* admitted that summer is finished.

We were going to go to the beach yesterday until I looked at the weather forecast and saw that the wind was blowing at 20-30 mph. We nixed that plan and went to the zoo instead.

It's not that I don't love fall. It's pretty much my favorite season. I'm just not quite ready for pumpkin picking and corn mazes and hot apple cider. yet.

So for now we're wearing shorts and t-shirts and throwing our hoodies in the car, just in case.

My girl

Miss Annabelle turned 5 yesterday. It seems like 5 years have gone by relatively quickly.

She's got quite the personality, and for a 5 year old she's pretty sure what she wants out of life. (no partner, no kids, 2 cats, and a lot of fashion). Maybe I watched too much Sex and the City when I was pregnant?

Annabelle was born in the early morning,

and after I was tucked into bed the midwives

left and Chris stayed up with her.

He had never been in charge of a baby before,

and later he told me he was terrified and

scared to fall asleep.

She gave him this sleepy smile though,

and he caught it on film.

She was quite the pleasant baby.

She refused to eat solid food for almost a year,

and the first food she really scarfed down was

tandoori chicken with basmati rice.

Annabelle did not take kindly to having another sibling.

This was taken right after Enzo was born.

Chris asked for a smile, and this was all she could manage.

Right around this time, she earned the nickname

Angrybelle Violent Fierro.

A few years have passed, and she's not so

pissed off anymore, but she still asks

if she can be an only child.

(and I don't blame her a bit)

One of the things she really wanted for her birthday

(besides "fashion outfits") was a pinata.

She got one, and it was worth every dollar.

Apparently, she had some serious aggression to release.

I finished her birthday sweater a day late. It fits, looks adorable, and she loves it.

When she put it on, she gave me a huge hug and said "thank you so much for the sweater".

I love her so freaking much.

Well. We know what kind of waitress Annabelle
would be. And we know the type of chiro she'd be
as well. Now, a glimpse of Annabelle the tattoo artist.


We do not hunt, but I used to be married to a
crazy nature photographer.
The kids had a lovely time playing in the "tent".


Watermelon! If all goes well, we'll be eating this
by Halloween.


Half of the cucumber plants got... confused.
They want to be lemons.


As of yesterday, I have about 4.5 inches of the
body done. I'm thinking I will actually pull this off.
Doesn't help that I'm a painfully slow knitter.