Just Call Me Martha

I'm sure by now most of you know that I'm not much of a baker. I've made some attempts at bread, which have been favorably received, but I am not one to bake on a regular basis, nor do I have the desire to. When Owen came home from school with a notice saying that his class was going to host a Mother's Day tea and that I needed to bring a tray of goodies, I immediately thought "no big deal, I'll just swing by the bakery and pick up something yummy!" But what I failed to realize immediately was that one of Owen's little buddies has severe allergies, and whatever I brought in had to be completely nut free. Yikes. I wasn't confident that I could find something nut free/made in a nut free environment so I decided that I had better make something myself. How hard could it be? I decided on Rice Krispie Squares, seemed simple enough. I've never made them before (I know, seriously?) but I had all the ingredients on hand which made it the perfect choice from a grocery budget stand point (yes, I'm on a strict food budget...more on that to come).

The marshmallow melting went smoothly enough, nothing burned. Then I mixed in the Rice Krispie's and stirred until I thought my arm was going to fall off. Mr. Rice Krispie said to add some vanilla to the melted marshmallows, but thankfully he said it was optional, because I forgot. Yes, there are only 4 ingredients, and I forgot one of them. Nuff said. The kids are 5, they won't notice. Oh....but the mom's, darn it, I forgot about the other mom's. They are probably all homemakers extraordinaire, they will all know that I suck at even the simplest "baking". I may have to spike their tea.

I had thought ahead, though, and lined the pan with plastic wrap that I had sprayed with Canola so at least the removal from the baking pan wasn't a nightmare!

As I was pressing the whole schmoz into the pan I realized that I was crushing all of Rice Krispies. Boy you need to press hard, I was manhandling the stuff and it still wouldn't go nice and flat like the picture. Oh well, my squares have character.

But now what. How the heck do I get the remainder out of the sauce pan? I mean, it is like glue. I put it back on the burner and then as soon as some melted I would quickly eat it before it could harden again. My stomach hurts now and there is still lots left in the pan! This is a process people! So this is my question to you. Is there some secret that I'm missing out on on how to clean the damn pan?!!!

Ah, maybe I should just chuck it....

Happy Easter!

The kids woke up to an Easter egg hunt on Sunday morning. Then proceeded to eat so much candy that they were bouncing off the walls for a couple of hours, followed by a big cranky crash. You gotta love Easter.

We decorated Tye Dyed eggs this year. Not sure if they look technically tye dyed or not, but they sure are funky!

Yes Oma, I believe Owen may need an apron of his own soon!

So the kids are back to school tomorrow, I am lucky enough to have the rest of the week off. I see a lot of these in my future....

But I can't seem to find any packing tape. Does not having any tape get me out of all of the packing? I really need to work on Jane.......or get a root canal.......either would be preferable.

FO: Central Park Hoodie

So I finally sewed this sucker together, and then didn't get any photo's until today. I've worn it quite a bit in these last two weeks, the weather has been perfect for a cozy wool hoodie.

The color in these photo's is a bit off - a little too blue, the yarn is actually a beautiful deep garnet color. Very pretty. I had to cut off my head in the above picture...I look a little ragged thanks to a great night of bowling and beer with my girlfriends. We had a great time, but I sure don't bounce back like I used to!

The hood is a little pointy, but honestly, I probably will never wear it up anyways. I do love how the cable runs all the way around it though. Nice feature.

The cable running down the sleeve is another beautiful feature. It just makes the sweater, I think.

I look like a line-backer in this photo, I think it's the angle that Aidan took them from, he's a bit taller than me and the pictures seem to be angled down a bit. And I don't think my ass looks like that in real life. I'm sure it's much larger.

Pattern: Central Park Hoodie by Heather Lodinsky
Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers in Garnet
Needles: US 8's and 10's
Mods: Lengthened both the body and sleeves, and I knit the sleeves in the round. I also knit the button band in one piece and used a three needle bind-off to graft the hood together. Everything else followed the pattern.

Verdict: I love this hoodie. It took me a long time to complete (I started it last May!) due to many other projects that got in the way. I liked knitting the individual pieces, but I really didn't like sewing it all together. The button band was a pain in the arse...so many stitches to pick up. The yarn is a beautiful color, and isn't too scratchy on my bare arms, but I wouldn't wear this next to the skin on my torso...I'm pretty sensitive to the itch, I think it would be too much.

I may eventually make myself another one of these...in a beautiful heathered green....but it won't be any time soon! Too much stuff going on right now. I'm going to a book club meeting tonight - my first one and I haven't been able to get more than halfway thru the book, I better get off the computer and get reading!

The Moosehead

Here it is. What you've all been waiting for......the moosehead!

We had a great time at the restaurant. Maeghan was thrilled when they put the moosehead on her! A little old lady even came by and slipped Maeghan a $5 and wished her a happy birthday. Maeghan was over the moon, it really made her day!

Today, we bowl.

Wish me luck with ten 8 year olds, and two 5 year olds (Maeghan is letting Owen bring a friend)!

Happy Birthday Maeghan!

Maeghan is 8 years old today!!!!!

I can't believe it. My children aren't allowed to get this old. We are going out for dinner to her favorite restaurant tonight (Montana's...she'll get to wear a moosehead while they sing to her), and this weekend we are having a bowling party with all of her friends.

I love you Maeghan. Have a very happy birthday!

FO: Shalom

Shalom! I actually have an FO....for me!!!!!! Love this cardi, so comfy and easy to knit up.

Pattern: Shalom
Yarn: Queensland Collection Uruguay Chunky
Needles: Knit Picks Options US 10 1/2


Mods: Like many others on Ravelry, I shortened the yoke by 2 rows in each section (a total of 6 rows). I only cast-on 10 stitches for the underarms.

Verdict: I love it. It fits me so well, no extra fabric bunching up in the armpits - which usually happens to me with raglans. The yarn is really cozy and soft. The alpaca in it is only slightly tickly and I can wear it with only a cami underneath and it is fine. I would definitely recommend this pattern.

We're Still Here!

Hey all! We are still kicking around...just life craziness has gotten in the way of blogging! I also haven't blogged because I haven't taken any pictures in forever! Blog posts need pictures, don't you think?

So remember last summer when we worked like mad people to renovate our house in order to get it on the market to sell? Well, unfortunately the market tanked and a huge engineer inspection was done on our complex, the combination of the two them prompted us to wait to list. I'm thankful we waited too, our neighbors have been on the market since August and still haven't sold.

So we waited.

Then, after Christmas, we decided to give it a shot anyways, so we listed two weeks ago, and believe it or not, we sold in less then a week! The final subjects were removed on Saturday, and we will be officially homeless May 1st. Yikes!

We have a plan to start looking at what is currently on the market (detached homes) and if nothing suits our needs, we will rent something while continuing to look for the perfect house. It's hard for me to be patient, I don't like change very much, and not knowing where we will be in the next few months is a little overwhelming for me. The end result will be worth it though, and I must keep that in mind! I'm also a bit torn because I have an emotional attachment to this townhouse, it was our first real home together (I absolutely cannot count all the horrific rentals we have lived in along the way!). Owen doesn't remember any place but this, and I hope that once he figures out he won't be able to run outside and play hockey with his friends at any given moment that he'll be okay with that.

Anyways, that's where we are right now. We are going to visit 5 houses this week...I don't love any of them (from the outside at least) yet, but hopefully something will come up.

In knitting news, I have TWO FO's to show...just need to sew some buttons on. Can you believe it! I finished both Shalom and the Central Park Hoodie. I'm in shock. I will get the buttons sewn on today, and hopefully the weather will co-operate for a photo shoot this weekend.

Thanks for listening as I ramble on, there will be photo's in the next post, I promise...which hopefully won't take me a month to do!