intarsia

2008-09-30T16:50:00.003-05:00

The Dog Ate My Nunchuk

This is what you find when you don't make the monkeyboy put his Wii remotes away before bed, then get home from being out all day (when you didn't even want to get out of bed,) and the dog has missed you:

And this is the culprit asking to be let out afterward. Probably to vomit wiring.

2008-09-24T20:59:00.003-05:00

From Zeroes to Donuts

That's the name of a Curious George episode that's been Brent's favorite for a little while here, in which the Man with the Yellow Hat teaches George about zeroes and the sly monkey [ab]uses his new knowledge to change an order for 1 dozen donuts into a very exciting (to the donut lady) order for 100 dozen donuts.

Brent is seen here practicing for his own pastry coup.

2008-09-20T14:38:00.004-05:00

Out of the Mouths of Babes #2

This is Brent's new buddy, born while I was taking a new clearance rack baby dress off of it to toss in the laundry. I set the hanger aside to rip off tags and next thing I hear is, "Momma, look! Bones!" and I am being chased around the bedroom by a skeleton. Funny, I always thought those hangers looked like really skinny Thanksgiving turkeys, but there ya go. This one's a scary skeleton dude. I love imagination.

Speaking of which, I imagine AT&T better get their asses in gear and not land anymore episodes of Supernatural or America's Next Top Model on my DVR that I can't! hear! :grumble, grump: If I were deliberately watching silent movies, I'd at least expect those text boxes that keep me up on the dialogue.

2008-09-18T19:03:00.002-05:00

Ta-dah!

Tonight was season premiere night for Smallville and Supernatural -- and a fine evening it was. :D Good thing, because it was a frustrating day.

Brent was supposed to go swimming today with Daddy and Aunt Kate but Will had to work, which I did not know, and I was nearly out of diapers and took hours to get myself to the store and back, which I could not control, and then found out Kate only had until late afternoon to hang out, which I did not know. So, Brent got robbed for the second time this week. What am I going to do when he's old enough to realize it and adds his disappointment to my frustration? :( Guess the lesson is, don't make plans that include anyone but me because it sure seems like the whole world is unreliable lately. Or are my expectations of the folks around me really so unrealistic?

2008-09-12T20:53:00.002-05:00

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Today at the grocery store, Brent suddenly flung out a pointer finger and shrieked, "Momma, look!" (I see and hear that about a hundred times a day.) "Yes, Brent. Trash." "Yeah, trash. Momma?" "Yes." "Da baby." (Referring to his little sister, sleeping in her sling and giving me a hellacious backache.) "What about the baby?" "Da baby in da trash!" "Uhh, no." And I swear I heard the old lady browsing fruit juices next to us snickering.

Thanks, Kim at Ravelry, for the idea for this blog post.

2008-09-09T20:25:00.002-05:00

Imagination Movers, review

They live between your ears...

Their new show on Playhouse Disney (daily at 9 cst) premiered on Saturday and I'm a fan so far! I mean, um, my son loves them. Yeah, that's it.

Their show seems based around problem solving and critical thinking skills, but I've seen plenty of vocabulary and basic comprehension concepts like "open, closed, open closed" when they're playing with doors and plenty of interpersonal skill modeling, as the friends support and encourage each other and those around them. The music of course is cool, and the peripheral characters are not too obnoxious. My 3 yr old belly laughs at them every show and is already talking to me about what he learns.

The plot model is that the Movers are in business solving problems, though they don't seem to have any customers but themselves. The episodes I've seen include "No Noise is Good Noise," in which their music is interrupted by a mysterious, loud sound, "The Tooth Hurts," in which Warehouse Mouse is afraid to go to the dentist, "Bad Hair Day," in which Scott is embarrassed of his hair but the newspaper needs a photo right away, "Puppy Problem," in which a lost dog shows up on the warehouse doorstep, and "Too Cool," in which their warehouse is freezing cold and they have to figure out where the cold is coming from (full episode of that one available for viewing here.)

For the moms: Kids' music combined with cheesy 80s references and the guys aren't hard on the eyes. How can you not love them??

2008-09-05T17:17:00.003-05:00

Scholastic Books, by Weston Woods

My cable provider (AT&T U-Verse) has a Video On Demand channel that offers nothing but video adaptations of Scholastic books, and they are FABULOUS. Brent absolutely loves them. The problem is that the individual videos only play for about 6 weeks at a time, and that's not nearly enough time for Mr. Again, Again! to get bored of them. (This is the boy that still watches his Animusic DVDs almost daily after nearly two years after getting them.)

So I found them online at their official website here:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/westonwoods/

$59.95 for a single video. EEP! The reason for this, I found, is that Scholastic is selling these to teachers, and the price includes the public viewing licensing fee. So, I have spent a couple of months looking high and low for an alternate source for these precious videos but have come up empty handed. Until now!

And it was such an obvious, simple solution. I called the "Order by Phone" number posted at that Scholastic website in order to beg, cry, and vent my frustration at them. But I didn't have to do anything of the sort. I just mentioned that I wasn't a teacher and the rep said I could order the videos at their Home Use price of $14.95. Well, THAT I can afford!

So, lesson learned: It never hurts to go right to the source and just ask for what you need. The worst they could say is 'no'. And if they say 'yes' it sure saves a lot of trouble.

(By the way, I highly recommend these video books for any young reader!)

2008-09-02T21:09:00.002-05:00

Alas...

This doesn't count as knitting content because 1) it's crochet, and 2) I didn't make it; Ana did. It's a cool two-tone raglan pullover made out of Cotton-Ease. I'm looking forward to cool enough weather to put it on him for real.

I'm just posting it because, even though it's blurry, it's damn cute. But then I think any picture of my boy is damn cute. :)

2008-09-01T22:41:00.004-05:00

Too much time in the blue chair

Thanks, Monique from Ravelry, for the fun quiz link. Here it is if others of you wanna geek out with us:
http://www.helloquizzy.com/tests/the-harry-potter-husband-test

I got Mrs. Weasley Twin. which I can concur with. And who can complain about being matched up with a pair of brothers? ;) Here's the results blurb:

Your perfect HP man is Fred and/or George Weasley.

Laughter is important to you. You want a guy who's never boring, who can always put a smile on your face, and who can pull the best of pranks and never get caught. Or possibly two such guys. Because let's face it, they're pretty much a two-fer. You get one, you get both. Even if one of them's only a friend, he'll still be around so much you'll feel like you're married to him, too. Sure, they may not seem like the most mature guys in the world, in a traditional sense, but just ask them about their business plan. When they drive you nuts by relentlessly testing their latest inventions on you, you can console youself with that huge stack of cash and dragon-leather jacket. Besides, you know you're powerless against those stereo smiles.

2008-08-31T23:58:00.002-05:00

Blog post #90: Can I make it to 100 by 2009?

Everyone needs goals, right?

Wish I could say mine included blogging or knitting at this point but since my top three still include trying to make sure my naps between nursing add up to ar least 6 hrs a day, trying to bathe at least every other day, and trying to remember to eat before I get ravenous, well... a girl's gotta bathe, right?! :)

Right now the big news in my life is that it's finally September and only SOME of my favorite shows got cancelled so I have some new TV to look forward to while I'm stuck in this chair playing dairy cow and heated bed to a newborn all day long! So YAY for Ghost Hunters on 9/3, Smallville and Supernatural on 9/18, Boston Legal on 9/22, and Ghost Whisperer in October. A moment of silence for Moonlight, Stargate Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactica... what are these networks thinking? :(

2008-08-21T00:25:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday-Thursday Auntie Moose Goddess!

Wearing our Green with pride!

2008-08-17T13:50:00.004-05:00

Gianna loves...

Grandma Tere

Big Brother Brent

Handknitted gifts (and Aunt Ana's camera!)

2008-08-12T11:52:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday, Gianna!

11:53am - OK, so not quite yet, but how cool am I sitting here typing a one-handed blog entry with my right wrist IVed and my left arm in a blood pressure cuff? Will says as soon as he starts taking pictures he can upload them from here. Woo hoo for wi-fi! Surgery is scheduled to begin in T minus 33 minutes and counting...

11:17pm - What a whirlwind of a day! Yes, Helen, surgery, alas. We planned a c-section because Brent's birth involved an emergency c-section when it turned out he didn't fit, and this baby was showing every sign of being larger. And was she ever!

Gianna Elise DeMoville
Born 1:07pm, Tues 8/12/08
9 lbs 1 oz, 20.5" long

2008-07-17T17:03:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday, Brent!

Yesterday, the monkey-boy turned 3. We decided he really should have a party because he recognizes and understands parties and all the balloons and decorations and presents and figured he would get excited about it. It was just immediate family, a small cake, and some steaks and beer, but Brent seemed to have a GREAT time. :) Get rrrrrready for piiiictuuuures!

Brent helped us with decorations:

This is Will baking the birthday cake (how sexy is that??):

Never too young to start a crazy new fashion trend:

What a monkey-boy can do to a cake in about 2 minutes of "Hey, Brent's awfully quiet..." time (he was double- and triple-dipping a cookie into the cake, for extra flavor dontcha know):

Opening presents came before cake because everyone was FULL from dinner and my inlaws were exhausted and wanting to go home. Lil B liked the bows as much as the presents themselves, and pre-removed all of those before officially starting:

Probably the biggest hit of the party, the gift from Aunt Kate of a new wading pool with a sprinkler/bubble blower, as well as a pair of blow-up hands for Brent and Daddy:

And I HAD to share this one. The boys are having a water kick splash fight and I timed the picture by sheer luck so it looks like they're doing some kinda white-boy version of a Native American war dance:

And finally, we did cake. (By the way, I did protest the red tshirt with the safety orange shorts. But when Will helps me dress the boy, Will chooses the outfits):

Brent wanted to cut the cake himself. Considering it was his birthday (and the cake was already half demolished) we all laughed and said, "Suuuuure!"

See the knife?

And the classic "face" a 3 yr old pulls when he discovers that Mama's not just being mean when she says, "Don't eat the candle."

Just a couple more playing with presents pictures, because the boy looks awfully cute in this one:

And so does my man, my manly man, making that noise... you know, the one little boys make when they're playing with their car and truck and boat toys:

And that's finally all I'll torture you with. Let me just say, I'm glad I won't ever have to do another birthday party pregnant again. And that we still have a couple of years at least before we have to do it with a houseful of kids rather than just helpful adult family members.

2008-07-02T11:39:00.003-05:00

We have POTTY POWER!

So, this weekend I mentioned to Will that Brent KNEW what to do but in my opinion just hadn't made the connection between his potty power routine and the sensations of a full bladder and actually going to the bathroom, etc. I thought a good solution would be to train him like we trained our puppies (which took all of 2 days, thank you): let him run around monkey-nekkid, keep a close watch on him, and as soon as he started to have an accident, scoop him up and run him to the toilet. This is something I cannot do right now! So, Will agreed to try it, and IT WORKED! He only had to do one scoop and run, and Brent was so thrilled with himself and with all the rejoicing that ensued we've only had one little accident since Sunday with NO diapers worn around the house whatsoever except at night. BUT this morning he woke up and asked me to take it off so he could use the toilet!

I'm super proud and so happy with our lil man, who is now officially a "Big Kid" in Potty Power terms. (I give so much credit to the great Potty Power video by Mazzarella!) I know it's only been a few days but we have a really solid start here, and I'm hoping it's soon enough that he'll be firmly in the habit by the time Gianna is born and the regression then won't be too bad. We'll see.

2008-06-20T16:40:00.005-05:00

Introducing Gianna!

(We haven't settled on a middle name yet.) Here she is, in a 3D sonogram image from Wednesday:

Ain't she already a little looker? ;)

2008-06-11T14:43:00.002-05:00

Wii Fit is Fun!

I've hit the homestretch of this pregnancy -- which is to say, I'm big as a cow and feeling about as energetic lately. I'm staying home more, but getting less housework done. One bright spot has been the Wii Fit package my great mother-in-law sent us. Even if my stomach is too big for me to fish socks out of the bottom of the washing machine, pulling pots and pans out of the bottom rack of the dishwasher leaves me panting, and chasing down the monkey-boy to force-change a poopy diaper sends my abdomen into painful cramps and my heartburn skyrocketing into I-can't-breathe territory, I can still do a daily weight check and keep myself feeling halfway active with light yoga poses and step aerobics routines. (And the male trainer avatar looks a little like Jensen Ackles, which really helps. Now, if I could just change the wussy voice to something with a bit more drawl and smartassedness...)

Those of you curious about the program, I highly recommend it! Here's a fairly in-depth review of it which I thought was pretty accurate to my experience so far, though the spelling leaves some to be desired.

I'm about to order a new digital camera for myself with birthday money I haven't spent yet so that I can be better about putting photos up. Right now, I'm still depending on Ana and she's been busier and busier lately so being my camera-monkey is getting pushed further and further back on her burners. Now, if I can find one that I can figure out how to use...

2008-05-05T02:49:00.005-05:00

Eeyore's Birthday Party 2008
Brent played in the Drum Circle!

Dateline 4/26/08. We took Brent down to Pease Park specifically to check out the drum circle, since drumming is such a passion of his. It took him a while to warm up to the sheer noise and the mass of humanity surrounding it, but once he did, he took up a pair of proffered sticks from a kind drummer (the guy in the 1st photo -- thank you!) and wailed away for what seemed like forever to poor Will, I'm sure.

And this is what he looked like on the ride home, after an hour of drumming hard in the sun on a warm, spring day:

2008-05-02T02:10:00.003-05:00

Two FOs in one day

The Devan I've been working on for over a year is finally done! To be fair to Holli Yeoh, it's more properly called a FrankenDevan. I followed the pattern in the most haphazard, keep-changing-sizes fashion ever until the sleeves, which I completely freestyled because the body is so misshapen that properly made sleeves wouldn't fit, and then I added all the ribbing on the edges. Still, it's done, I worked my bum off on it, and I love it. And the baby won't complain! (If it ever fits...)

And the golf club cover I promised my father-in-law for Christmas, hehehe. I started it and then promptly went into no-energy, morning sickness hell. And I feel really dumb for having let it sit for so long because I picked it up this afternoon when I was done with the Devan, and finished the whole thing, seaming and end-hiding included, in one evening. I hope the poor man didn't already give up waiting and just buy himself a cover for that 7 club.

Surgery Fundraiser Update

Wonderful news! My father gave us his tax refund, one of the emergency clinics refunded us several hundred dollars worth of overcharge, and our bank accounts are really looking much better than I had feared. So, I think that no radical destashing will be called for -- yay!!

2008-04-28T10:10:00.003-05:00

Tyler is recovering!

Those close to us will already know that sleep has been scarce and hope only recently rising since Thursday when Tyler suddenly started vomiting repeatedly and refusing to eat and then, at the emergency vets', starting having seizures. Diagnoses shifted from possible organ disease to tumors to rampant infections and finally settled on a hugely enlarged gall bladder after a sonogram that was a bear to get scheduled, what with this happening so close to the weekend and all. (Isn't that always the case?)

Tyler went into surgery Saturday afternoon and had his gall bladder removed, his intenstines flushed of the nasty mucous the gall bladder was putting out, and his liver biopsied to make sure the mucous and other things haven't sent it toward disease. We don't have the results of those or the analysis of the sickly gall bladder, but Tyler himself has bounced back from the surgery like a CHAMP, according to the doctors and we're picking him up to bring him home as soon as my dad calls me back to accompany me. (Of course, this happens when I'm pregnant as can be and can barely lift myself, much less ailing beagle boys.)

Is that his gall bladder??? EW!!! NO, NO. Just kidding. :P

SURGERY FUNDRAISER

Actually, I'm going to be destashing much of my beloved yarns, including that lovely mohair laceweight and much else, in order to try to put an IV into our checking account, which as of right now is looking almost as bad as Tyler did on Friday. PLEASE check back for more details soon if you're interested in helping and scoring some cool yarn. I have some nice stuff!!!

2008-04-23T15:57:00.003-05:00

Old Halloween Make-Up & April Showers

This is what happens when a 2 yr old finds old makeup lying around and mama decides to laugh and take pictures rather than stop him (I had to hide him for a couple of days afterward, too, because that thick, greasy stuff doesn't wash off well when the washee is unwilling to cooperate):

And this is what happens when a perfectly cute rainy day opportunity meets a techodummy holding a camera worth faaaar more than her camera expertise:

And YES (before you ask or tease) my son does on occasion wear pants. The reason for the jacket and no pants out in the rain was that it was actually warm outside but we were trying to keep him dryish, and we knew there would not only be amateur umbrella use but also much splashing around the ankles and knees. So, yeah... it looks silly but it worked just fine! Hope you enjoy the pictures! :)

2008-04-16T19:39:00.004-05:00

What's the news?

(besides that I haven't been blogging.)

Well, in January I found out that I'm pregnant again. (I was requesting a dr's appt online -- the form asks for the symptoms of the complaint and as I was typing "nausea, tiredness, sleepiness, period is late" suddenly I thought, "Oh! Duh..." The pee-on-a-stick was kind of a foregone conclusion.) Found out a couple of weeks ago that it's a girl this time! So, Brent has a little sister due in mid-August, and my parents will have gone from 0 granddaughters in 2007 to 3 of them in 2008. (Check out Brent's baby cousin Lori! and my brother Jonathan and his cool wife Vanity are expecting a daughter in July.)

Will's been crazy busy at work and we've had a rash of bad luck with our fabulous new car, culminated (thus far) in the dealership wrecking it for us during a test drive after routine brake maintenance. Whaddya think of THAT? It's been in their body shop for a month now while they try to get their insurance to pay for things. (Good to know it's not just us that struggle with that.) In the meantime, we're crusing around in an SRX and trying desperately not to ding it or stain the leather seats, lest we have to pay for it. (If you know how to get oily 7-11 parking lot foot prints -- size child's 9 -- out of leather seats, let me quick. We're trying a toothpaste scrub tomorrow according to advice from Mrs. Clean.)

Besides that, we're just doing the same ole grind, trying to keep up with life in general. Spring is upon us in Central Texas and that brings not only wildflowers and strawberry picking, but also more yardwork! So, I'll leave ya with this cute picture of daddy training his replacement-yardslave-to-be. (OK, so I can't get the image imbed to work :( so here's a link until I figure it out. OK, I got it! :D)

2007-12-22T19:34:00.001-06:00

Trail of Lights 2007

After nearly 10 yrs living in the Austin area, this year's was my first visit to the annual Trail of Lights. It was... a whole lotta lights.

I was (for some reason) expecting something more kid-friendly, but the barrier fences between the light displays and the walkways were mere formalities, and the crowds were way too thick for us to be able to let go of Brent for any length of time. He was off-and-on pretty frustrated by the situation, but behaved himself well, considering, and seemed happy on Daddy's shoulders most of the time. His favorite part of the actual Trail was the mini-train ride on the Zilker Zephyr (this is the best picture I could get... it's kind of fast for a little train!)

The much bigger hit was the Zilker Tree, a ginormous Christmas tree spiralling into the sky. Here's a view from several blocks away. When we walked under it to look up and see this, Brent was one thrilled little boy.

If there were more to do in that part of the attraction like children's rides or play areas, I'd say it was worth it to go just for that. Otherwise, I think our light-gaga boy is just too hyper and hands-on to truly enjoy the Trail until he's older.

And with that, Merry Christmas to all from our little family. Stay safe and warm, enjoy togetherness, and try to let the busyness of the whole thing slide off your back lest it ruin the true joy of the holidays. See ya next year!

2007-12-07T16:16:00.001-06:00

Yarn Pr0n Friday
originally posted on November 9, 2007 at 360.yahoo.com/ceci9293
This is my hand dyed 100% silk "La Habana" by Textiles A Mano in the most "Ceci" colorway to be discovered thus far in this galaxy. It makes me happy. It will someday be a luscious stole or garment that I shall wear with utmost joy and pride. But until the perfect pattern presents itself, I'll be here, petting the skeins and drooling over the photos. (Thank you, Renee!)

ETA 12/7: The pattern I'm currently cogitating on is "Cocoon" from A Gathering of Lace. I'm a little short on the yardage but may be able to find a complimentary solid for the trims. Or maybe another pattern will present itself before that. We'll see!

2007-12-06T00:07:00.000-06:00

Look what I made! I made it up as I went along and fully expected a mediocre result, but I'm just thrilled with it. It's going to my buddy Sarah in Washington state, whose Christmas ornaments were stolen out of her family's storage room. (What kind of an utter creep steals a family's Christmas ornaments?!)