Maegwin does it by herself

Oh hi! Maegwin here! Mommy has been so busy working and working that she is letting me show you all the amazing things I can do.


Daddy and I like to share nectarines and one day I took it and ate it all by myself. See, what you have to do is grab it and it's best to scare it into submission.

Next you can bite into it and enjoy its juicy goodness.

They are pretty neat if you look inside of them.

Settle in for the long haul, they take a while to eat if you are a baby.

I also learned how to drive the car. I could use the turn signal and everything!

Make sure to put your hands at the 10 and 2 position and have Daddy nearby to push the pedals for you.

Oh yeah, I can also use a spoon to feed myself. It's pretty easy though sometimes I like to turn it upside down more than the other way. Grammy made me the sweater I'm wearing and I love it. It keeps me so warm!

I've been pulling myself up to standing and now I can take steps if I hold onto someone. It's really exciting!

That's all for now! I think Mommy will write about our trip later.

Iowa or bust

Whew, it's been a busy couple of weeks!  Two weeks ago we ventured forth on the open road to the family reunion in Iowa.  The trip took about nine hours and Maegwin was great for about the first seven.  The last two were a bit of a struggle with many stops and one of us riding in the backseat.  Once there though we met up with everyone in the hotel banquet hall and the flashes went off like mad.  It was like the paparazzi!  Maegwin was definitely the star (of course she was the only baby there so she had no competition).  Throughout the weekend she spent time with all of her family and I don't think I had to hold her unless she was nursing or occasionally while sleeping.
She spent some time with her great aunts Jean and Wendy:

She snuggled with her great grandma:

She gave great uncle John some bowling pointers:

She also bowled with Daddy while in the Ergo but someone else has that photo...
She snuggled sleepily with Grandma (sensing a theme here?):

She hung out poolside with the family and took her first dip in the pool:

And she put on a pretty party dress and showed Grandpa how to dance on tables & chairs:

All interspersed with frequent napping at the hotel room:

We had a great time and I'm so glad we were able to make it out.  It's nice that she'll have lots of familiar faces to see in a month at the wedding.

We also had another development over the last week.  Josh came back from the other room to find that Maegwin had developed a new skill:

Oh and not only can she pull up to standing from sitting, she can do it one-handed!

Gnomecoming-part II Gnomeageddon

Ok, not really but I'm going to try this post again on my own computer where I know what the hotkeys will do and can see Flickr without waiting minutes for pictures to load in.  Seriously, I am glad I don't really remember how slow dial up was.  :p

So yesterday Maegwin and I went to the Farmers' Market after our Mommy & Baby yoga class.  We had a great time and found a lot of good stuff.  Our intention was to buy a tomato, granola, apples, plums, and anything else that struck our fancy.  I sauntered over to the apple vendor who had no less than ten varieties of apples with him this week, most of which I had never heard of or tried.  There was a woman there sampling an apple.  She proceeded to tell me right in front of the farmer how it was SO tart that it wasn't good for ANYTHING but sauce or pies.  She didn't say this just once but multiple times.  Now, as a rule I don't believe anyone who is a. without an internal speech filter and has no clue that they are insulting a person's wares literally in front of their face and b. assuming they know what I like.  The farmer was obviously noticing because he started warning people it was the first harvest and they would change over time.  I asked him for a sample of the same apple the woman was having and oh boy, IT WAS AMAZING!!!  Like the perfect cross between a Granny Smith and a Fuji.  It had the right crispness, tartness, and flavor.  I felt like turning to the woman, who was by this time continuing her antics with someone else, and saying "Whoa there Nellie!  Not all of us like our fruit tasteless and insipid.  Why don't you go find yourself a Red Delicious and leave the nice man alone?"  Of course I didn't (see point A. above) but I contented myself with singing the praises of the farmers' apples, especially the Wealthy variety.  It is apparently an heirloom variety you don't really see anymore.  He definitely noticed because he loaded my bag up with apples well above where the others were and I had at least two maybe even three pounds in there.  We also got a great loaf of wheat bread from Lucky Cat bakery in Pataskala, OH which is very close by.  We tried a loaf of her focaccia last week and it made the most fabulous egg salad sandwiches.  Finally I got some cheese.  Oh the cheese!  I selected a chive & garlic chevre roll, which we enjoyed on egg, avocado, and tomato croissants for breakfast, and some ranch cheddar curds.  They were both so delicious and came from Blue Jacket Dairy in Bellefontaine, OH-near where my mom & dad live.

So here I was with a couple pounds of apples and some peaches from last week's market that we didn't get to.  The peaches were still good but at the point of ripeness where you have to share some special bonding time with your kitchen sink as you crouch over it to catch all the peachy juices.  While I love a good peach, they were just unmanageable to eat.  I had read on the Smitten Kitchen blog about a peach blueberry cobbler and had an idea.  I would make a peach apple crisp.  She suggested cutting a small cross in the bottom of each peach and dipping them in boiling water for 30 seconds to remove the skins.  I tried this and oh my goodness!  If any of you knew about this little piece of wisdom, don't tell me because honestly you've been holding out on me.  This sort of thing should be shouted from the proverbial rooftoops.  Not only did it make peeling them a snap but it also made it ridiculously easy to remove the pits.  We are definitely keeping it in mind next time we make a peach or nectarine mead.

I made a triple crumble topping recipe because honestly there can never be too much crisp.

As you can see, my favorite cookbook is a little *ahem* well-loved.  It basically comes apart in sections now.  Really it is an advantage since I can just grab the part I want and I know which sections I use the most because they have batter on the pages I like.  I also could throw out the meat sections if I had thought of that before just now.

The crisp turned out so good that we both ate two helpings and had to stop ourselves from eating more.

At last week's farmers' market I also stopped into the garden store that is one of the hosting locations (they let the farmers use their patio).  I had seen a lawn gnome in there last year that I fell absolutely in love with.  Let me preface this by confessing my abiding adoration for lawn gnomes.  It is the only word that I know how to say in four languages.  I have loved lawn gnomes since I was a child and always imagined that when I had a house it would have a gnome.  The one I found was the ideal gnome with the perfect mix of mischievousness and sweetness in his expression.  When we went back to purchase him though he was gone.  I special ordered him three times but to no avail.  Well this year when I went in there he was.  I went back to talk to the owner and bought him.  She found my special orders, tucked away in the catalog by her temporary help from last summer, and apologized profusely for not getting it for me.  Good thing I was persistent.  Let me just say he is heavy!  He's made of solid concrete and we had to go back and pick him up so Josh could carry him.

My mom also bought me a smaller gnome that has a little lantern to absorb sunlight all day and glow at night.  I keep forgetting to look and see if it works.  He is nestled up amongst our shasta daisies, coneflowers, and black-eyed Susans, and bee balm by the house.  I love looking out and seeing him there while I do dishes.


The garden is finally really taking off after the magical combination of rain and hot weather we've had.  I literally planted the corn like three weeks ago and it's already over a foot tall.

This patch has corn, black beans, and butternut squash in it.  We had, or thought we had, bad luck with the butternut squash seeds this year.  We had given up on all the ones that didn't germinate and threw them out on the porch to be torn up and added to the compost.  Well, we got busy and honestly forgot about them.  When we looked out there the other day lo and behold they had all sprouted!  I guess they just needed rain and sun and a lot of time.

The green beans are all the way up their teepees and the limas are climbing.  The peas are on the smaller lattices and have flowers on them so we will soon be enjoying sugar snap pea pods.

Our potatoes have completely filled up their plot and we will have gallons and gallons of them this year I think.

The tomatoes have also finally got a foothold and I think after getting rid of the baby groundhog that was trapped inside the fencing and installing pinwheels to deter others, they might finally make it to give us tomatoes this year.  They aren't as big as other people's but we grew ours from seeds so I think this is about where they honestly should be this time of year without the benefit of a greenhouse.

We've been harvesting lots of arugula (seen here in the middle of the front plot) and our cantaloupes are filling in.  Our cucumbers are also just starting to get on their lattices.

The asparagus ferns are growing, but we won't get anything from them until next year.  This year is all about strengthening their root system.


Whew, that's what is going on around here for now.  I think I got most of my initial post re-created.  See why I was mad that I lost it?

Gnomecoming

Well I had a post all written but it got deleted.  I'm pretty pissed off right now so more later I guess.

Sigh, stupid blogger has an autosave so I had a great post about how we went to the farmers' market and how I made a crisp and all about how awesome the stuff I got was.  Sadly hours of work just went down the drain with a little tap of the backspace button on this stupid laptop I am using because Josh's computer decided to die.  See, this is why I don't post all the time.  When I make a post it takes me literally hours to get all the formatting right, think of what to say, lay it out, etc.  It is the reason that I try to comment on all the blogs I read.  I want people to understand I know the hard work they put in and that I appreciate it.  Anyway, this is going to be picture heavy and not nearly as witty as the one I just wrote.  Maybe I'll recreate it later when I'm in a better mood.

Maegwin has been sitting up though not on her own.  We put her in my chair with the Boppy and her expressions were priceless.

I think this one looks like she is doing ballet arms.



Yeah...sorry I'm just not in the mood to write now.  I'm going to go knit.

This one's from Maegwin

Oh, hello! I'm Maegwin and I wanted to take a few moments to speak to you about the importance of good oral hygiene. Even though I don't have teeth yet, I know it is never too soon to start practicing.

It's essential to use a soft bristled brush. Most dentists don't even know why they make any other kind. (I've seen Daddy wash dishes with a toothbrush so maybe that's what they're for.)

I use Preserve brand toothbrushes. They're made from recycled number 5 plastic-that's yogurt cups! They're good for your teeth AND the environment.

Equally important is toothpaste selection. Hold the tube thusly and twist off the cap using your newly developed pincer grasp.

If you haven't mastered this skill, just bite it off.

After a thorough brushing you can congratulate yourself on a job well done.

Knitting along

Fair warning for those who only come here for baby posts. I really don't have any new pictures of Maegwin or much of any news. She continues to be adorable and the joy of our lives. No progress really on talking or crawling; she still scoots around in circles. I'll even frontload the blog post with her so that those who have no interest in my knitting can flitter away knowing that I haven't put anything else of interest to you in this post.

Oh and lest ye all think that I don't love the dogs anymore, I caught this moment on film. Their other beds were in the wash so they improvised.


Ok-are they gone? All of you still here, you know what I'm talking about. The good stuff-the knitting. Not that baby stuff isn't good stuff. Of course it is. I've got a wee case of cast-on-itis and thought maybe sharing what I've got going might help.

First up, Hippo from the fabulous book Itty Bitty Toys. This is my first toy attempt and I'm really enjoying it. I've got the head and body sewn together and am working on the arms. The pattern calls for holding two strands together while knitting. This has a two fold benefit of both using up sock yarn (of which I have a lot) and also of giving a mighty interesting mottled look. The yarn is Knitpicks Imagination in the colorway Gingerbread House.

I found some bamboo stuffing that I'm very happy about but I think I should have stuffed the body a bit more. Maybe once the arms and legs are on though it will be fine. It did make for easier sewing on of the head.

Second on the needles is my first crochet project, Santorini. Yes, I am that crazy. Not only did I just learn crochet but I thought "hey, I can totally knit a sweater so I'm sure I can crochet one". I've managed all of one row so far but I knit the gauge swatch about ten times so I feel pretty confident that I both have gauge and know the stitches. It's in a lovely white cotton/tencel blend that has a nice drape and has apparently withstood getting ripped out ten times. Rowan's crochet book has totally changed my focus and I now am looking for ways to combine knit and crochet.

Third on the needles is French Quarter Socks in Burgundy Cherry Mousse from Craftsmeow. She still has some of this yarn at her Etsy shop so go check it out. It is shiny and soft and a dream to work with. I'm making the 72 stitch version and though the pattern calls for size 0 needles I got gauge with a size 2. I'm thinking that perhaps Anne Hanson of knitspot must be a looser knitter than I am. This pair of socks is for the July Sock Knitters Anonymous challenge. I'm still a part of this group on Ravelry though I've yet to complete a pair of socks this year. It seems that Maegwin keeps getting in the way. ;)

Fourth on the needles is Josie's wedding afghan. I'm on the second repeat and everyone compliments it when they see it. I'm doing three to four rows a night and should still be on target to complete it the weekend before we head out. If I can get ahead of the game I will try to do so but there are so many distractions, both knitting, work, gardening, and housework related.

I'm still part of Stashdown in my Yarn Snobs group on Ravelry. I ended Q1 and Q2 in the green and am heading into Q3 with a lot of projects planned to complete. Yardage out only gets to be counted when a project is cast off so there will be lots of that if I can get all aforementioned items completed.

Knitters Connection

Things have been quiet here on the blog because things have been not quiet in our lives. We've been so busy! Between the garden going into full swing, weeds constantly needing to be beaten back, sickness, and a visit from my friend Gwen there hasn't been time to sit down and chronicle it all. This is week two of wellness and I am so glad to be off antibiotics. I had to have three courses of them for separate issues (a sinus infection, an ear infection, then another sinus infection) and Josh had to have two. Maegwin had a fever of 102 at one point but fought it off like the tough cookie she is. I missed my sister, Missy's, graduation because I had to stay home with the sickie but that's ok.

We've been working on solids though they are more for play than true nutritional value. Maegwin has mastered eating about a tablespoon of food and has tried rice cereal, avocado, banana, butternut squash, and yesterday sucked on a brussels sprout. We're also working on drinking from a cup and have been using one of my smaller milk storage containers to fill with water. She has a lot of fun with it.


She had her six month checkup yesterday and her stats were:
length: 26 inches
weight: 15 lbs 15 oz
head circumference: 44 cm
The doctor said her head circumference shot up from last time so we have to monitor it and measure next month and call her so she can chart it. Right now she said it isn't a cause for alarm since it is in same percentile as the rest of her body. It would be more of a concern if we had another spurt. Of course I'm imagining the worst now but she said she is very active and alert and is right on target with milestones so it should be fine.

For the last two weeks my friend Gwen was visiting from the Bay Area. She came out to sell her yarn at Knitters' Connection-a local yarn show. I was quite disappointed that this year the show was only half the size of last year and many of the vendors I loved last year didn't come back. I was hoping to see Jennie the Potter there again and buy one of her pendants or mugs or yarn bowls as gifts. Oh well, I'm not sure I would go to the show next year. Gwen signed up to get on the waiting list for the Wool Gathering in September and I volunteered to work her booth with Mom if she gets in. Hopefully that will help her make a profit this year and it's a fun show. Maegwin got to help out on Saturday at the show after our baby yoga class. She kept knocking the cards off the table so we gave her a sample sock to play with.

She must have taken the Ice Cream Sundae name of the yarn literally.

Then she posed with it-all her idea. I didn't help at all.

She decided that was pretty funny, probably because we were all laughing so hard.

I'm pretty sure we were bringing more people to the booth but I don't know if we distracted from the yarn.

My mom got in on the baby action. I think she was probably Gwen's best customer at the show.

Daddy came to pick her up after working for a while on Saturday and they gnawed on his badge together.

After we were done breaking down the show we all went to Buca di Beppo for dinner. I can't recommend the place enough if you are in the Columbus area. They serve family style and the food is delicious. We all shared one dessert and it was enough for Mom, Aunt Lynn, Gwen, Josh, and I to all have some. Maegwin had a great time playing with spoons though she did hit herself in the eye once.

Gwen gave me some yarn for helping out at the show. I got some of her Mousse yarn that I think I will start with to knit the French Quarter socks next month. I have to finish up this Hippo toy I'm making for Maegwin and I'm still going at it on Josie's blanket.

I also learned how to crochet while Gwen was here and started a summer top with some cotton/tencel yarn in white. It's the one on the third row down all the way to the right.