Let's Catch Up

I'm sitting here with you and a cup of coffee, wrapped up in a blanket (because our house is COLD in the morning) and wearing my husband's slippers (because our kitchen floor has concrete underneath and is cold even in the summer). (Yesterday Michael said, "Someday we get your OWN slippers, Mama." Probably a good idea.) The kids are still asleep (!!). A lot has happened that I've been meaning to tell you about, so let's start with November. :)

Happy Dominic took awhile to get over the shock that there was a cake on his tray.

Gregory took it more in stride. Of course he got cake!

Usually he's the cleaner eater ... 

The twins had a birthday. It's hard to believe they're 14 months old ... they still seem like such babies to me. (As opposed to Michael, whom I firmly believed was on the verge of toddler-hood at this age.) We had a small party--just grandparents and godparents--and they obligingly wore their birthday crowns for about five seconds before diving face-first into cake.

This guy had a birthday too. 30 years old! November was a big month for us. :)

I would've loved to throw him a surprise party, but he would've killed me. But I did get to surprise him in other ways and throw him a party, so it worked out nicely. Several days before his birthday I went out to a "craft night" ... and came home with his best friend from high school who had flown in from across the country. His face was the best.

And because Keith has fond memories of story-tellers around the bonfire at a friend's house when he was a teenager, I also hired a story-teller who came dressed in a hat and cloak to his party as another surprise. I made a huge pot of chili, we had gourmet s'mores over the firepit (which we bought for the occasion and found out the hard way is not safe to use on our deck ... part of it melted!!), and a friend brought a bottle of champagne. There were tons of kids, and the weather was warm enough to be outside.

The other big thing that happened in November? Our bathrooms fell apart. One morning as I showered the soap rack just sort of ... fell off the wall. And then less than a week later the same thing happened with some tiles in the other bathroom. As I type this post I am waiting for the guy to arrive and install a new facet in the shower ... then hopefully tomorrow they'll start putting in the new tile. It will be nice to have this shower back; the one downstairs is functional but pretty funky.


This post is getting long and the kids are awake, so let's catch up on December another time. :)

Hey look, I'm blogging!

I put Michael down for a nap about twenty minutes ago, and he is still sleeping. Oh, blessed baby! So, after getting dressed and brushing my teeth and whatnot, I decided to treat myself to a second cup of coffee (since I am super sleepy today) and a zucchini cupcake. Yum. When he wakes up, we'll go visit my dear friend Stephanie; meanwhile, I'm enjoying a nice quiet moment to myself with my caffeine and my blog.


I am glad the weather seems to be getting cooler. Two days ago Keith and I went shopping in Shadyside with his dad, and Michael's little legs seemed chilly, so last evening I cast on a pair of legwarmers for him. They're easier than pants when it comes to changing diapers, can be taken off and stowed away if it gets too warm later in the day, and perhaps most importanty: stripes!

It's a quick and easy pattern; my only problem is the jogs running up the back. I know there's a technique for avoiding this, but I was too lazy to look it up yesterday. (Plus as I recall I was sitting on the floor knitting next to Michael and if I tried to get up and walk away he protested quite a bit.)

While we were out, we stopped in Banana Republic so I could try things on while Keith held the baby. It was my first time really shopping there (as opposed to just window shopping), and I was happy to discover they had a petite section. Unfortunately, none of their pants fit me. :( I blame part of it on the post-partum belly that is still slooooowly shrinking (we won't talk about the post-partum butt ...), but I've always had trouble finding pants that fit. Right now I'm down to one pair of jeans and one pair of black denim tousers in the pants department, so I think I'm due for some new ones!

I did get two new shirts, one of which I'm wearing right now, and it's wonderful how new clothes can make you feel classy and polished--two things which I have not felt much of late. I'm also due for a haircut, and I'm rediscovering how amazing concealer can be. I am way too lazy to wear makeup on a daily basis, and when I do it's usually just mascara and maybe some powder; but I've worn concealer to Mass the past two Sundays and gotten compliments on looking good, so, yay!

(Granted, one of them was sort of a backhanded compliment. "You're looking so much better Rosemary ... after the baby, you looked kind of unhealthy!" Personally, I find it kind of hilarious. And I know it was well-intentioned.)

This post is getting kind of rambly. My cupcake's gone, but I have half a cup of coffee still left, so I will go read some yarn along posts to accompany it until the baby wakes up. :)

Yarn (and coffee) at the end of a long day ...

For this week's yarn along I haven't much on the needles. But I do have finished objects!

(Sorry for the crappy picture: it is rainy and dark outside, and darker in our apartment.)

All the Baby Surprise Jacket needs is to be sewn up and have the ends woven in, and then I'll have to pick out some buttons. :) And I finished my Honeymoon Socks (finally!).Again, just some ends that need weaving.

And on the reading front, I finished Shadow Theater, which I found a little confusing at times (lots of names to keep track of), but enjoyed. No new books from the library yet, as I was pretty focused on completing a short story for workshop last week and over the weekend.

Today I am knitting a hexipuff from the honeymoon yarn. But most of my day, so far, was spent running around trying to find the lost and found where my purse had been turned in. Once I got there everyone was nice and helpful, and I even bumped into the bus driver who had found it for me; but it was a very rainy day, and I was tired and frustrated, and it ate up all my time. Blarg.

Although I do have to get working on some school stuff, today I am going to take it easy and concentrate on things like laundry and various other housekeeping things that will make me feel good about myself and accomplished and save this day from being wasted.

On the bright side: As a reward to myself for finding my purse and surviving and all that, I stopped by Anthropologie and poked around for a bit. Pretty things. :) (I did, of course, scoff thoroughly at the simple bulky-weight knit hat that cost $58. Anthro, there is a yarn store down the street.) They had lovely peacock lampshades that I lusted after.

Then I went across the parking lot and bought what I honestly believe was the best mocha of my life from Coffee Tree Roasters. For real. I don't think I can ever go back to Starbucks again.

As I pulled out of the parking lot, I thought I wouldn't mind a job at Anthropologie, working amongst so many pretties with (I assume) an employee discount.

And then I realized.

I will probably never work a retail job again. At least, not in the foreseeable future. Not with babies to take care of who will grow into children to homeschool.

It was kind of an odd realization, but it made me happy.