First Words - Uh oh!

That's right folks, I do believe I'm prepared to say that Silas has uttered his first words.  If I could figure out how, I would upload a video, because I caught it on camera.  But alas, 'firewire' means nothing to me, and so the footage shall remain on my video camera.

Silas will be 18 months in two weeks, and while his various intonations of  'uhhh' manage to communicate much more than you would suspect, he has flatly refused to say any real words.  Until today...  today I dropped something and said, uh oh" and Silas clearly repeated, "Uh oh!"  There it was, as clear as if he'd been saying it for weeks, "Uh oh!"  He also chases me around shouting "mamamamama" and squeals in excitement when he sees Jared with "daaaaadaaaaa" but he refuses to do it on cue, like the trained little entertainer I want him to be, so I'm not counting those.

Despite his lack of vocabulary, let me promise you that Silas is quite honestly the most darling baby I know.  He is sweet as can be, always coming up just to hug me tight around the neck.  Although I don't get them, he makes jokes all the time, laughing at himself right out loud.  He is a total daredevil, leaping off couches, jumping into swim pools, swinging from the chandelier (honestly!)  I love him to bits and pieces, and am totally looking forward to seeing what he has to say.

Here's a picture of the little Duketer after he carried my camera over to me, placed it on my lap with a well meaning "uhhh" and marched over to the obvious picture taking spot. He stood quite still while I snapped the shot, and then insisted I take several more before I was allowed to put the camera away.  I love this kid so much!

"Did you ever have your likeness taken?"

I feel like reading Jane Austen today.  I'm too busy to read the funnies in the paper, let alone Jane Austen.  Sad for me.  I often wish that I were more refined, that I could spend my day taking walks in the garden. Sitting, with perfect posture, doing needlepoint. Organizing dinner parties.  Why does she portray such a life as so glamorous and wonderful?  I want it!

Eli is developing his skills in order to become a proper gentleman.  He has taken to, lately, drawing true likenesses of people.  Is it wrong to want to keep each and every thing he draws?  He is amazing, honestly.

And, just as Mr. Elton said of Emma's likeness of Harriet: "I never saw such a likeness!"  It's true, this is Facebook profile picture worthy!  Not that his art needs explanation, but just in case you are not as artistically inclined as my sweet boy, this is a picture of me riding my horse, Natasha.
He asked, "Mommy, how many arms do horses have."
"They have four legs."
"Is that four?"
"No, that's six."
"I don't matter about that, Mommy."
Please note my favourite features: the horse's carrot-like nose, my bowed legs, my giant hands with a dozen fingers on each one, and the fact that the horse and I are both wearing cowboy hats. 

I'm thinking of opening up a booth at the mall where people can pay us for Eli to quickly draw a picture of them.  His abilities are so sharp that he didn't even need a picture of the horse, he just knew what she looked like.  So, in your next family picture someone is missing, send it Eli's way and he will just draw in your brother on a mission, or your sister who had to work late, or even the dead family dog... especially the dead family dog!

Raw Muesli

I spent the entire weekend talking RAW.  Okay, I've spent most of the last 8 weeks talking raw, but this weekend I did it especially.  Janice Skoreyko of RAW Foundation, the woman who got me hooked back in December when I went to her Intro to Raw class, was back in town.  She taught a Raw Dessert class (absolutely incredible - yes, you do want to come over to my house!) another Intro to Raw, and then a five hour Intro to Raw Immersion class.  Honestly, I keep saying that I am NOT a true raw foodist, that I don't plan on doing this forever, but every time I listen to this woman speak I am convinced that this is the best way to live.  And truly, the proof is in the pudding: after 8 weeks of living raw we are feeling incredible, shedding weight healthily and easily, and we are not deprived in the least.  We eat as much as we want of whatever we want.  Chocolate cake for breakfast???  No problem!  Seven apples throughout the day? Go for it. Fruit pizza for dinner?  Absolutely!  We are having fun, feeling empowered, and don't go anywhere where someone doesn't ask what we are doing, because we are looking so great!  Janice has given me even more tools to make this journey fun and exciting.

Apparently my expertise in raw food has been focused on breakfast-type foods: granola, blueberry crackers, and today you get MUESLI!!!

Again, completely delicious.  This one doesn't need a dehydrator, and gives you all the benefits of raw, living food.  Eli and Silas eat it up every morning.  Never again will I buy boxed cereal, for this fills the craving.

It's this easy:

Raw Muesli

4 cups Hulled Oats, soaked overnight (you could even sprout them for even more nutrition) and rolled
1 cup raisins
1 cup currents
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup mullberries
1/2 cup goldenberries

1. Place 4 cups of hulled oats in filtered water overnight.  Rinse.  Run through a hand grain mill (available for under $50, and provides fresh oatmeal any time! We have a Norpro Grain Grinder.)
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
3. Top with almond milk (or other nut milk) and maple syrup to taste and ENJOY!

This muesli freezes very well, not clumping together or anything, so you can just open the bag you have it frozen in and scoop out enough for your breakfast each morning. And don't be constrained by what I put in it, just put in whatever dried fruit or other goodies you have.  Just raisins would be fine.  If you like apricots, throw those in.  Really, as Janice would say, be your own raw food alchemist!

Silas digging in, with his green smoothie sitting next to him.

Eli is really a lot more excited about his muesli than he is showing here, I promise.

Chunky Monkey Bonnet

One thing I love about crafting: the connection it gives me with Grandmas all over the world. I have yet to meet one I cannot impress with my admiration of their handicrafts.  I once had a wonderful old woman tell me that she never looked at patterns when she knit and crocheted because she could just sit down and figure it out herself.  At that point I didn't understand. I couldn't comprehend what years of knits and purls could add up to.  There was no way I would ever be able to just sit down and come up with anything other than a badly formed washcloth!

Yet, just a few years after really embracing my inner grandma, I am beginning to see her point.  I specialize in hats, often made for small humans, and I've made most of the patterns I've seen and like.  So, my inner artist (and sometimes even my deeply hidden inner mathematician) and I've begun to really enjoy the fine art of pattern making.  If I only had more money, I would probably spend a lot more time doing it.  Unfortunately, after I've knit or crocheted an entire project, even if it isn't quite right, I have a hard time justifying pulling it out and starting all over again, or buying a new skein just to get it right.

One pattern I haven't been able to find is a cute crocheted bonnet.  There are so many cute knit ones, but I wanted one I could whip up super quickly with chunky yarn that was still darling.  I also wanted to try a new stitch, so I added the "Roll Stitch" which I found in an ancient crochet book.  While not perfect, I think the result is pretty darn cute:

Chunky Monkey Easter Bonnet

SIZE

Toddler

MATERIALS

Fleece Artist Big Merino (100% Merino; 136 yards per 125g ball)

Crochet Hook US J/6 mm

Tapestry needle

GAUGE

11 sts = 4"; 7 rows = 4" in dc  

Use any size hook to obtain the gauge.

You can use any yarn and hook you choose, just adjust the number of stitches to make the appropriate size bonnet

PATTERN NOTES
dc = double crochet

sc = single crochet

roll = roll stitch: yarn over 10 times, place hook into stitch and draw a loop through.  Yarn over and pull loop through all loops on hook.  Chain 1 to secure.

DIRECTIONS

Chain 45 leaving a long end for seaming.

Row 1: Double crochet in 3^rd chain from hook and in each chain across - 43 dc

Row 2: Chain 2 (counts as dc here and throughout), turn; dc in each stitch across

Row 3-11: Repeat Row 2

Next row: Chain 3; roll stitch in every other stitch across (see pattern notes)

Last row: Chain 1; sc in 1^st stitch and in each st across. DO NOT fasten off

Fold bonnet in half, and using the end from the initial chain, seam up the base chain. Fasten off.

To make ties: Picking up working yarn, chain 30 (away from the bonnet).  Sc in 2^nd chain from hook and in each chain across (back towards bonnet).  Sc evenly across the bottom of the bonnet. Chain 30 once you get to the opposite side of bonnet.  Sc in 2^nd chain from hook and in each chain across.  Fasten off once you reach the bonnet again and weave in all ends.

I'm speechless... well, Silas is, anyway.

Words can't even describe how much I love this kid. Just take a look at his absolute cuteness! Although he hasn't yet said a single word, he has no problem at all communicating.  He loves his big brother (despite the constant assaults) and he loves to do just exactly what everyone else is doing.  Today Eli and Andy were dressing up and Silas brought me his costume.   "Uhhh!?" he said.  That means, "Will you please put this Buzz Lightyear costume on me, mommy?"  So I did and I got a "Uhhh!?" Which means, "Thanks mom.  Don't you think I look wonderful?  Don't you want to take a picture of me? Don't you want to blog about me?"  How could I not, really?

And here's one of the three musketeers.  I love how "cool" Andy is being.

Killing Myself With Romance

While Jared and I are definitely madly in love, we are not really big on the gushy, romantic stuff.  We have often decided to forget about birthdays, or we just go out and buy our own presents and then call them our birthday present.  I bought Jared a pretty awesome mic for his birthday this year that I caught a quick glimpse of after he bought it for himself.  What a good wifey I am!  Last year we celebrated our 6th anniversary in Cody, Wyoming, where we only realized it was our anniversary halfway through the day when I was signing a guest book at a museum and noticed the date at the top of the page.  I yelled out the door to where Jared and the boys were lassoing fake cows "Oh Jared, happy 6th anniversary."  That was it.  Six years.  Yeah!  Don't worry, we manage to show our love for each other in many other ways. It has been six wonderful years!


Anyway, today is Valentines Day, a day we have always neglected more even than our anniversary.  I think Jared has brought home flowers a few years, which I dearly appreciate, and once he made me macaroni with an octopus hotdog on top (loved it!), which we ate on our china, but that's about it.  This year I really put myself out there and made Jared these. 

Okay, the truth of the story is that I made ones just like these for Jared for Christmas two years ago.  He never wore them, for he lost them.  This year for Valentine's Day Jared actually made these himself. I did go out of my way to find and buy the supplies all over again for them, I just didn't get it together enough to put them together, so Jared did it for me.  Call it his Valentines gift for me!  Love, true love!

They are authentic old typewriter keys.  I bought the keys and the cuff link posts of Etsy and epoxied them together.  I just love the look of men in cuff links, and so have decided to start Jared collection of them off with some personal, pretty awesome ones. I think the next ones I make will be Lego or Scrabble pieces.

Happy Valentines all!

A Baby Sweater, Finished at Last

Lately I have been making a concerted effort to finish projects before I start too many more.  This one I started while I was pregnant with Silas, and I got all the way through the body and halfway through one arm. 

Last week while I was teaching my sister-in-law how to knit I picked it up again and finished the first arm, knit the other and tonight I seamed it all together.  It really is darling.  Too bad for Silas, but at least my next child will be able to enjoy it! 

If you're interested I got the pattern from Knit Simple Magazine, Fall 2007, which I picked up on a sale rack for a buck.  Love it!