Fall Color

I took the baby and went out for a while, first to the library to return materials and check out a few cookbooks for more kitchen inspiration. Found a Moosewood I hadn't looked through before, an Indian cuisine cookbook, and a diabetic friendly slow cooker cookbook (I have gestational diabetes, I had it with Anne but not with Jonah). Next stop was to a local nature sanctuary for some fresh air, to walk down to the pond and check out the (finally) changing leaves. There is still a lot of green, and the chipmunks are still having fun as if there is no winter lurking around the corner.

As for knitting, I catch a few rounds and rows here and there but nothing worth showing off yet. I'm developing ideas for baby #3's quilt, though nothing is solidified. Life is busy with the usual cooking, dishes, laundry... the repetitive rhythms are soothing and quieting as I'm not really up for much more than that now. I'm not too tired, my body's busy putting a little one together and that's taking it's own kind of energy and work. I don't feel a lot of morning sickness, but the smell of steaming collard greens is enough to turn anyone's stomach. I thought that I'd steam, puree, and freeze the greens I hadn't used in a soup last week, but PEW! I put a pumpkin pie in the oven to compensate for the bad odor. We're planning on carving pumpkins tonight (a week earlier than I hoped), because it's just not been cold enough to keep our pumpkins from going a bit soft. I'd hate to scrape out slightly rotten pumpkins, and I want the seeds for roasting.

It's cute, but it doesn't stay on for long

Everyone seems to be making this little hat (there's a link to it in a recent post), and it is too darn cute. Anne, my 9 month old, is sporting the 2 year size. It won't fit her long so I'm going to try it again with one needle size up and slightly thicker yarn, Jaeger Matchmaker merino DK in #864 Feather. She makes this hat wearing thing look effortless, but it took me about 30 shots of blurry hat tugging and throwing to get these two clear images. She is now eating bananas in reward for her effort.

For those who have commented, yes Anne's eye is fully open and the birthmarks are starting to fade. It will be a while until the swelling goes down, but once the hemangiomas have finished their life cycle we will start the corrective treatment. Until then, she is healthy and happy and we are glad that the blood vessel tumors have not grown into her brain or optical nerves. They are very close, even growing into her skull, but she is one very, very lucky girl. The birthmarks do not hurt or hinder her in any way, though the size and location of them gave us quite a scare for several months. Thank you to those who have been concerned, I try my best to update on what's going on with all this. I do get tired of explaining and consoling strangers each time I go out with her, but I don't mind it as much as the few children who are afraid or disgusted by her appearance (the children will let you know exactly what they think, and if there are any adults with the same feelings they've been gracious enough to hide it). I hardly notice the marks anymore, or maybe I'm just accustomed to them, and I do forget that not everyone knows what they are or can tell if she is or will be ok. She is, and that's really all that matters.

Something I Agree With

Be good to our earth.

My Moodiness Explained

It has finally cooled off, we took Anne for a walk near the Potomac. This has been the first hiking excursion since Glacier National Park in Montana this August. I hope we get more of these kinds of weekends in before I don't feel up to it. I've already had some morning sickness, though mild. Toast and jam seem to help, my empty plate with raspberry swirls (that's a Tori Amos song, isn't it?) shown above. Anne is happy to announce her new title, Big Sister, with the newest Van Oort due to arrive mid June of '08.

Little hats, tiles and stew

Finally, the last of the hot days. Yesterday was a record breaking 91 degrees. We're in the thick of a drought as well, and while the skies are grey I do not think we'll be seeing any good soaking rain for a while. There is still a mellow light coming in through the cloud cover, a bit bleak but it echoes my mood lately. I am taking advantage of the baby napping to knit up this little hat as quickly as I can. I'm at the decrease only section now. Yarn is Trekking 283 that I picked up in Montana this summer, needles are 3mm - a quarter mm larger than most of my US 2's.

The tiles are samples of sister-in-law, Ruth Lampi. She made these on her cross country pottery tour this summer and I think I've found a place to display them where we can enjoy them and the baby won't destroy them. Today is other sister-in-law, Jessica's birthday. We should really see the girls again soon, it seems like longer than it has been. (And we need our drill back). Speaking of family, I made the Van Galen stew recipe this weekend, definitely a favorite with this generation. I should email grandma and let her know it's V.G. stew season again.

Bats

My son helped cut the string and hold the tape down, and told me where the bats should go. Not bad for less than an hour's work. He's taken some of the bats into his own room, and he's very excited. Mind you, he's never had the thrill of finding that a bat has found it's way down from the attic and into the living quarters. Eeep!

Here's the link to the craft: Clothespin Bats from Martha Stewart.

Insisting upon Fall

The weather continues to be hot and humid, the air conditioner runs several times a day, and the windows are only opened in the night and that hardly helps in cooling things off. Ah, well. We can insist it is Fall anyway. I usually procrastinate on picking up the pumpkins until the last few weeks of the month, but not this year due to the drought and supposed pumpkin shortage.

Now that we're more or less moved in and unpacked to some livable degree, out came the Autumn decorations, the skeleton candles and pumpkin votives. The bats have come out as well, more will appear strung on black string today. They were a Martha Stewart craft from some years ago, black construction paper bat cut outs on black painted clothes pins, ready to perch throughout the house, even on the wireless router.

My husband doesn't get decorating, especially for holidays or seasons, and I can't convince him that curtains to cover the ugly blinds are a necessity. We have the curtains and rods from the old place, but we are missing our drill needed for the project. Trying to install them with screwdriver and willpower alone had very bad results. Again, ah, well. The ugly blinds will be covered eventually. Maybe by Christmas.

Web and Fog

Fog this morning, nearly zero visibility. The spiders have been decorating the rails, hardly one space goes without a web. Despite afternoons in the 80's it does feel like autumn is (reluctantly) settling in. The move is over and I am (slowly) unpacking and claiming this space, finding everything it's own new place and trying to live calmly in the chaos of boxes and all our stuff out of any order. The new game is to remember what box I put something in and then to actually find that box. Several times we've gone through all the boxes and not found the one we need. I swear they shuffle themselves at night.

I've found some time to knit a little, I may have photos shortly as the little hat is needed for the chilly mornings out to the bus stop.