Daily Distraction: Puppycam!

I'm sure I'm a Jenny-Come-Lately to this insanely popular internet sensation, but so what if I am? Who can resist a puppy cam? Have you seen the six adorable Shiba Inu pups? So cute...

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/shiba-inu-puppy-cam

Startitus Relief & Holiday Ornaments

Another harsh, croupy cold has kept me away from the computer for the past several days. Glad to finally be on the tail end of it.

During the down time, a few crafty things happened.

Art Pen Pals
I took part in an Art Pen Pal project exchange over at the C. Beth Blog site. Since I was feeling under the weather I didn't have the fortitude to oversee an artsy toddler free-for-all. So I sent a handmade card to my swap partner instead.

I received the cutest art made by the Toncrey family from Mobile, Alabama. This SAHM and her daughter are wicked good with pom pom balls, googly eyes and Popsicle sticks!

Thank you, Toncrey family! I love it!!!

I Knit Something
Yes! A test hat out of a cheap-o, chunky, 50/50 wool-acrylic yarn, using size 13 circular needles. The Toddler Felt Hat pattern calls for 100% worsted weight wool so I reduced the number of stitches from 90 down to 60, and crossed my fingers that the hat would still be in the general ballpark to felt down to toddler size. It was a crap shoot, pure and simple.

I got lucky. The hat felted down to just a hair bigger than I wanted. The dimply crown, however, is my egregious error. I didn't follow the pattern correctly, ending up with a pointy top instead of a smooth curve. Plus, the only DPNs I had on hand were size 8 (quite a difference from size 13) which warped the crown even more. Kind of looks like a nipple, doesn't it?

That's why swatches and tests are good. I got some practice felting, made a bunch of mistakes and learned a lot in the process. This project knit up so quickly that I will be doing another one out of the same yarn, just because I like the colors so well.

Felt Christmas Tree Ornaments
A "no fragile ornaments" rule has been imposed on the holiday tree this year. That means, if I don't come up with some soft ornaments, my tree will be pretty darned bare.

So I've chosen to create felted pear and partridge ornaments. To that end, I've created partridge template pieces that resemble the animated partridge from the opening logo of the popular 1970s TV show The Partridge Family.


I started out thinking in 2D, but after seeing this adorable felted bird in Warm Fuzzies by Betz White, I had to make them 3D. See?

The pears will be two-dimensional with classic blanket stitching around the edges, just like in the photo below.

Did I mention that my holiday tree this year will be purple? Traditional red and green is done to death on my street so I decided to color outside the lines. Convention? Ha! I laugh at you.

That mean the pears won't be yellow. More like red Bartlett or Anjou pears. When I have one done I will post photos and you can judge how well I executed the concept. Right now, the prospect of needle felting roving onto the pears for shading excites me. Once I sit down and try it, we'll see if needle felting qualifies as a delusional activity.

The Cocoa Kid

Wordless Wednesday is suspended this week to bring you two photos of Silly Hat Central's resident villain, El Cocoa Bandito.

This time instead of snitching brownies off the kitchen counter he was "gettin' all Maverick-y" after his first taste of delicious, homemade cocoa.

That mustache puts me in mind of two things: Dick Dastardly from the cartoon The Perils of Penelope Pitstop — Maybe it's the stripes? — and a young Salvador Dali.

Special thanks to Stephanie Nissan-Nichols for pointing me in the direction of this last image. It is the best comparison yet.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

A Fistful of Brownies

The other morning while I was washing up the morning dishes, Little Sprout crashed around the main floor in full-tilt mode.*

All of a sudden my mommy sense tingled because it had gotten too quiet and I went to investigate. Here's what I found:


Oh, ha ha! He had gotten the brownies down from the counter without me knowing! AND he carried them just far enough out of the kitchen to be out of sight before settling in to enjoy his spoils.

The caveat is that the moments that were captured on film weren't as priceless as the one when I first entered the room.

Imagine this angelic, brownie-smeared face looking up at you as if to say, "What, mommy?"

Little Sprout had three brownies gripped together in two, barely big-enough hands. Rounding out the scene are my two half-beagles poised eagerly over the open brownie box like Snoopy vultures, just waiting for their chance to pounce. **

All of these photos were taken a few moments later, after the initial shock had worn off and I'd made a mad dash for the camera.

All it took for me to get these reenactment photos was to take the box away for a moment and hand it back asking, "What do you have there, little guy?" See how eager he is to show me his stash?

The time it took to grab the camera and start snapping was just long enough for this contented little bandit to put his fistful of chocolaty evidence back into the box and close the lid.

No evidence, no crime. Get it?

SO BEGINS THE TERRIBLE TWOS...

Can you believe he has been asking for brownies for breakfast every morning since? I really have my work cut out for me.

---

* Full-tilt mode is generally recognized as a talent unique to toddlers. However, I have met one or two grown men who can still pull it off.

** Yes, I do know that chocolate is bad for dogs. My opportunistic beagles (Very Bad Dogs) and I thank you for your concern.

A Haunting He Did Go

A ghost haunted Silly Hat Central this year, and what an adorable Lil' Boo he was! He wasn't the least bit shy about knocking on doors and asking for treats. To him it was spooky, good fun!

Our neighbor, who goes by the moniker SkyGranny, invited him over to haunt her garden and he had a grand time running in circles with his spooky dags flying.

In fact, running at top speed is his new favorite pastime, so we couldn't have planned a better costume for him if we tried. All that energy just added to his spectral appeal.

Howard Gardner's Eight Types of Intelligence Test

Another quiz! This one tests which type of intelligence you use to gain knowledge. Find out which intelligence you use the most.

Here is how I did:

Your result for Howard Gardner's Eight Types of Intelligence Test...

Linguistic

27% Logical, 25% Spatial, 47% Linguistic, 20% Intrapersonal, 31% Interpersonal, 45% Musical, 29% Bodily-Kinesthetic and 22% Naturalistic!

"Verbal-linguistic intelligence has to do with words, spoken or written. People with verbal-linguistic intelligence display a facility with words and languages. They are typically good at reading, writing, telling stories and memorizing words and dates. They tend to learn best by reading, taking notes, listening to lectures, and via discussion and debate. They are also frequently skilled at explaining, teaching and oration or persuasive speaking. Those with verbal-linguistic intelligence learn foreign languages very easily as they have high verbal memory and recall, and an ability to understand and manipulate syntax and structure.

Careers which suit those with this intelligence include writers, lawyers, philosophers, journalists, politicians and teachers." (Wikipedia)

Take Howard Gardner's Eight Types of Intelligence Test at HelloQuizzy

Startitis and Knitting Delusions

Ever since late summer started making way for early Autumn I have been itching to knit. It is like this for a lot of knitters. Cool weather is a siren call. It stimulates the knitting receptors in our brains and we instinctively reach for needles and cozy yarn(s).

But this case of startitus is particularly acute. I want to knit or spin everything in the house. I see a friend knitting and want to pet their yarn.

"Toddlers and needles don't mix," I reproach myself, forcing my eyes downward and slowly backing away from the yarn.

So far chasing around my toddler has tempered my self control, but the two or three chilly evenings we've had this week are unraveling my resolve. Knitting delusions are starting to set in.

Yesterday I got an email from a local knitter on Ravelry announcing a new knitting circle forming in my area. Wham! I replied how I would love to join in the fun. And don't we all need a reason to get out of the house to work on our unfinished projects once in a while?

All afternoon I fantasized about finishing the baby bootie I started a month an a half ago for the baby shower that is taking place at my house in three days. Talk about a knitting delusion! What kind of twisted math was I doing in my head to rationalize that plan?

But when you are actually willing to lie to yourself about how long knitting takes in order to rationalize your plans, this is what happens.

Little Sprout needs a cap to keep his head warm on our morning walks. Delusion: start it now (Yes, start it! Cast on.) and you'll have it finished by next week! Reality: God only knows when that hat would get finished.

Then I read Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's latest blog post over at Yarn Harlot and I felt better. She and I have a few things in common: age (her 40 to my 43), oatmeal (tho' I know exactly where I stand on raisins) and a yen for starting projects.

All is right again with the universe because I know I'm not alone.

Sugarplum Pie on My...

...2^nd Anniversary!

Today marks two years since I started this blog. Happy Blog-iversary to me! Instead of passing around the cupcake tray, I've decided to share a recipe I found over at Emiline's Sugarplum blog (my newest food blog addiction). This recipe has a festive feel to it and it results in a purple pie. A fine choice for a celebration!

Sugarplum Pie (Recipe by Emiline)
Ingredients:
Pie dough:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling
3/4 teaspoon salt
10 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 Tablespoons (trans-fat free) shortening
5-6 Tablespoons ice water

Filling:
2 lbs. black plums, peeled, pitted, thinly sliced
3/4 cup coarsely chopped dried plums
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (not too coarse)
1 egg whisked together with
1 Tablespoon milk
1 Tablespoon Turbinado sugar (raw)

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Work the butter and shortening in, using a pastry blender or your fingers, until pea-sized lumps form. Sprinkle in the water, 1 Tbsp. at a time, stirring gently with a fork after each addition and adding only enough of the water to form a rough mass.

Using floured hands, divide the dough in half, and pat into 2 smooth, flattened disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together plums, dried plums, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and pepper, until well combined.

Remove pie dough rounds from refrigerator, and allow to warm up a bit before you start rolling. Roll out one of your pie dough rounds, thinly, on a floured surface, and fit into a 9-inch pie plate; dust bottom of dough with a little bit of flour to prevent the crust from getting soggy. Pour the plums into the pie plate. Roll out the second pie dough round and fit it over the top of plums. Trim away the excess dough, and make the crust look all pretty. Brush the egg mixture evenly over dough.

Bake pie for 40 minutes; remove from oven and sprinkle with Turbinado sugar. Return pie to oven and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. If your crust or your crust edges starts to brown too quickly, cover with foil.

Cool pie on a wire rack to room temperature before slicing.

Yield: 8-10 slices

____________________________________

But, dear readers, that is not all!

I would like to thank you all for sharing in my journey. This blog started out as a journal/brag book of sorts, and has grown into a window into the world of first-time parenting in which I live, laugh and love.

In the beginning I expected this blog to fill a creative void. And it did (and does). The social aspect of blogging, however, took me completely by surprise. I didn't expect to make social connections: to post opinions and ask for others, to start conversations that often end in observations of things I have never considered before, to grow friendships from tiny seeds of ideas. The social aspect of blogging has made this blog worthwhile. So, hats off to all of you!

Look Who's Feeling Better

You know you're overdue in posting photos of your progeny when you get death threats requests from his adoring public.

Please don't send thugs with cement shoes or sexy assassins to my door. (Big Daddy is sure to object to that last part!) Here are three quick shots snapped today while Little Sprout was racing around the house, burning off bursts of boundless energy.

For the past week everyone (including me) has been sick with head colds at Silly Hat Central.

So I would have welcomed a visit from Guido or a Ninja assassin (to put me out of my misery!) a few days ago. But now we are all thankfully on the mend. I have always said the only thing worse than having a sick man moping around the house is having a sick kid and being sick yourself! *lol* I’m so glad that’s over.


Little Sprout is happy to be feeling more spiffy too. See? After up-ending the drawer of plastic container lids onto the floor, he turned the dishwasher into a drum set. (I captured a short bit of video, but it hasn't been uploaded to YouTube yet.)

This photo should be captioned, "Getting to know you...."

Yep! That's my lil' guy bonding with his Thomas & Friends potty seat — by dragging it all over the house. Wonder where he abandoned his slipper?

Toilet Talk

I stand (okay, sit) scratching my head at not one, but TWO public service toilet sites out there on the Net:

MizPee
Tagline: “Where to go on the go.”
According to the site: “MizPee finds the closest, cleanest toilet and gives you entertaining reading material once you get there. Since the service is cell phone-based, it’s always with you, when you really need it.”

Sit or Squat
Tagline: “A place to find and record bathrooms anywhere in the world.”
This site shows you the closest place to potty and whether that place qualifies as a sitting or squatting spot.

I can’t decide whether this is a good idea, or a bad idea.

Would you use either of these services? Would you send in a photo of a particularly appealing (or appalling) throne?