king of the hill

Oh, if only you could have heard the allocutions. I have a feeling I am going to get my money's worth out of this gym podium before summer is over!















1. DSC_0016, 2. DSC_0009, 3. DSC_0011, 4. DSC_0023

outside and in

Osteospermum, I think? Anyway, they grow like weeds around here. I started with one color and have been collecting seeds to bring home a variety. Tonka loves to arrange these in little vases for me every time I thin the front garden.













Behind the flowers in the below pic is our new favorite sorting game (cards have since been laminated). Each pile has a control card (the one you see) and then 6 pictures of various animate and inanimate objects that are that color. Tonka really enjoys the challenge of finding which column to put each picture, and the only help he requires is an occasional reminder that columns go up and down, not side-to-side.

hand crafted for tiny hands

My sewing machine has been on the fritz for what seems like forever, so I'm turning to smaller projects for my crafty fix. Here's a few of the latest, including my porch/car project WIP (a dishcloth).

Hello, my name is Mira, and I am an addict.

(hello Mira).
It has been one month since my last carrier.











Meet my new blue rebozo from the chiapas region of Mexico. Hooray! Now all I need is a 100% wool rebozo long enough to make a hammock, a kanga from Africa (think I have a source), and a camo korean podegai and a tie-dyed hemp knit wrap and I'll have my dream stash...











...the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem, right? I think the next step might be to stop having babies, but we'll get to that later. eventually. maybe.

Happiness is...

Notes:
*"new" swing. Thanks Tiffani (sp?)
*spring=naked babies. you didn't know that?
*I thought they were just about the same orange until we went outside. cfl=weird lighting.
*not a stick. a sword.
*yes, basically SOOC. I upped the saturation in a couple and cropped a couple.

supposed to be birthday presents...

...but I couldn't wait. Look what we got in the mail this week from this lovely etsy seller!!











I...er...Tonka and Monkey...have been playing with their new toys almost nonstop since the package arrived.











Not pictured is one more puzzle; mama whale's tail was broken a bit in transit and is waiting for her glue to set before being introduced to the boys.











We were hard-pressed to part with mama turtle and her baby, but I had already promised them to one of Tonka's best buds, whose own mama happens to have a bit of a turtle obsession.















Please do pop on over to check out Mama Cat's shop and blog, her husband is almost as talented woodworker as my own father and they are Christians to boot. I am still drooling over so.many.items. (hint hint...their birthdays are in may and july)

quotable

"Mom. It's your job to say "my answer is no" to me, ok?"
~Tonka

In-Laws in Italy: Day 2 part 2

More Palermo. Patrick's only memories of this trip might very well be chasing the birds and looking at the castles.

































Outside view of the featured church.












Inside view(s)













































This tree was pretty neat, the roots grow from the branches down into the ground.

In-Laws in Italy, day 2 part 1

Palermo. Zach, wanna help me out with captions? While I absolutely love tours and traveling, I'm not so good with the remembering what I've seen, especially if I've forgotten to bring my camera and have 2 babes in tow. Sorry!

click to enlarge.
17th c. carriage, Prez Palace:















amazing church (all the sparkly bits are gold):




















Mt. Etna (notice that it is actively smoking!) and an Italian funeral parlor. Probably only funny to those in WNY, but we ALL noticed it:








PS: did you notice the quilt inspirations post on the mountain blog?

moose on the loose

oh yes. loving the new camera.

looks can be deceiving

These socks are the crafty project I worked on while the in-laws were here. Other than a few spots when I had to refer to the directions every row, they were relatively mindless knitting. I got to use brand-new wool/bamboo/nylon yarn and my bamboo needles, and I was even able to try out the nifty ball winder my mom sent me (could use some practice there...). Fun little project that went pretty quickly. End of story, right?

Not exactly. I snapped the above picture not long before starting the heel to the second sock. Word to the wise: when you think you are having at least a modicum of success with a new skill, don't screw it up by knitting the toe and heel of one sock at odd angles to each other!!

oops. They still work, but every time I put them on I have to laugh. Well, that and twist the sock around until the heel is straight and the toe is sorta straight. Good thing I have enough yarn for a second pair!

have SPOC, will travel

this is how we roll (through Sicily):




ps: can anyone guess what the acronym stands for?