Drama All Around

Today is a huge day for DQ. Huge! Monumental! Her school play opens tonight and it's a bigger deal than ever. It got a front page write up in the Arts section of the Washington Post last weekend and tonight a local news broadcast will be there to report on it. Why all the fuss? It's the world premiere of a play by a Ken Ludwig, a Tony nominated broadway playright. All kinds of folks will be attending and the shows are nearly sold out. Pretty stressful if you're running the house and making sure that att the seating goes smoothly.



Fortunately my girl is up to the task. I think that the stress of running the house pales in comparison to the incredible pressure she's been under for the past few weeks to get the sets painted because she was the crew chief for the paint crew.

Then again, she's also feeling pretty good today anyway because after the play (and the talk back with the playright that follows it) she and a bunch of friends are off to see the midnight showing of Breaking Dawn, the latest in the Twilight Saga.



Like any real Twi-Hard she'll be decked out in Twilight inspired gear. A t-shirt and the Eclipse socks of course and a new addition - her just finished Bella's Mitts.



There's not much to say about these that hasn't been said before. The pattern was clear and not terribly difficult except for cabling with that chunky yarn. That's not much fun. The only thing to beware of is that just off the needles these really didn't look great. They needed a soaking and stuffing to get in shape. Now that they're dry they look really good and I'm sure that DQ would wear them even if they didn't because they are still Bella's Mitts after all and besides, it's cold out there!

Ten on Tuesday - Ten Ways to Use Fresh Cranberries

It's as if Carole was looking over my shoulder as I shopped this past weekend. How else could she know that I had cranberries on the brain (and in my shopping cart)?



So what will I be making with the cranberries? I have no idea but they were calling my name none-the-less. I look forward to getting lots of ideas from other blogs today so that I can cook this weekend. Yum! Here are Ten ways to Use Fresh Cranberries that I can think of.

1. Apple-Cranberry Crumble - I went searching my archives for a picture of cranberries and look what I found! The picture above is from December 2007. I think I need to find this recipe again right now.
2. Cranberry Compote - I have a recipe with cinnamon sticks and ginger that is fabulous. I should locate that one too.
3. Stuffing - I suspect that cranberries would be good in this too. Especially since I use apples in mine. Apples & cranberries are almost always a win.
4. Applesauce - continuing the theme.
5. Apple pie - have I exhausted the apples and cranberries link yet?
6. Sorbet - I bet this would be great.
7. Decorations - they keep their good looks for quite a while. Maybe in a bowl of a contrasting color.
8. Zucchini Bread - I know that dried cranberries are good in there - why not fresh?
9. Sauce - why not?
10. String them and hang them

Hats For Babies

The pace of knitting around my house has picked up quite a bit lately.

Miss M is playing more on her own and that has freed up my hands to knit a bit. It's not quite at the level that it used to be at but I definitely feel inspired and my focus is returning and, lo and behold, stuff is getting finished. Yay. That's a good thing because the pace of yarn entering the house for those very inspiring projects has picked up quite a bit too. Ooops!

And books, I can't forget that I've added a book or 2 to my collection. One was the Knitters Book of Socks which I can't wait to dive into but the socks will have to wait a little while. Right now I have a baby with very little hair and winter is coming. Enter Itty Bitty Hats by Susan B Anderson which is a book that I had looked at for quite a while but never needed. Now that I have a baby in my house again itty bitty hats were required. She's still got the first one I made for her but I know how things disappear when small people are involved so it's just a matter of time before we get her ready to go one morning and there is no hat for her sweet head. Better to be proactive about these things and have a stash. Fortunately, there are lot's of hats calling my name and hats are such easy, quick projects.

The first hat from this book is one that Bruce liked. It's the Inca Snowflake, a cute hat with ear flaps and a bit of embroidery which sets of Noro Kureyon perfectly. It never fails to amaze me how different this yarn looks knit up versus in the skein.



I took this picture of the hat last week. Now the knitting is done and the embellishment can begin. Last weekend I got some fleece for the lining and chose some yarn for the embriodery. Who knew it would be so hard to find just the right white. I needed something white but not too white and not too perfect because the Noro is kind of rustic. I think I got it right but time will tell.

ECF - Fall Colors Minus The Snow Edition

Brrrr... it's cold out there today. The true fall weather has been slowly creeping up on us and now it seems to finally be upon us for real.



Did you know that Thanksgiving is only two weeks away? Is it me or was it particularly stealthy this year?

Have a great weekend.

Ten on Tuesday - Ten things for your cold

More proof that I'm getting back to normal. Not only did I remember to bring my camera to the Halloween party a few weeks ago but I managed to use it to annoy my daughters too This picture is a perfect example. I sat and sat watching balloons float up into the sky and tried to get just the right shot. This isn't exactly what I hoped for but it worked well enough. That and my girls patience with their camera wielding mom was shot.



It's Tuesday again and this week we're thinking about Ten Things You Do To Care For Yourself When You Have A Cold. Whew that's a long title. It's a timely one too. Now that I have a child in daycare again I'm reminded of one of the joys of that arrangement - the constant colds. Ugh! Marissa's got one yet again. Here we go...

1. Buy yarn - no known health benefits but it makes me feel better. That's got to be a good thing.
2. Sleep
3. Drink tea - it makes my throat feel so much better
4. Eat comfort foods - it's all about stuff that makes me feel better.
5. Watch movies - it really depends if I'm at home or at work and how bad my cold is. Sometimes when I feel really lousy I can't concentrate on a book but a movie works.
6. Knit - again, it's a mental health thing.
7. Stay off the phone - my colds are usually accompanied by a post nasal drip which leads to losing my voice. Less talk is a good thing.
8. Dress in layers - stay warm.
9. Take warm showers - mmmmm makes me feel so much better.
10. Relax

ECF - Art of the Occupiers Edition

Today would be an excellent time to post pictures from Wednesday night's National Honor Society inductions. I totally would have if I had any. Unfortunately the ceremony was beyond lame and I was one among many parents in the audience waiting for a photo op that never came. None of us really needed pictures of the principal or the board speeking. We wanted shots of our kids getting certificates! Epic fail for the school.

Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your point of view) the Occupiers are still there for our amusement and they've created a bit of art.


Some is a bit more pointed than others.



I should note that there are well over 3 dozen tents in the park now and I have very mixed feelings. On one hand I get their point and I find it quite interesting to watch the developments in the park. On the other hand, they are making a wicked mess of the park which is really sad because earlier this year the park got a very expensive overhaul that included new concrete and sod. Much of the grass is dead now. I miss the days of people picnicking and chilling out during their lunch hour in the park.

Once More for the Twi-Hards

If you have a daughter of a certain age then I'm sure you know what the title of this post refers to. I bet there are even a few adults looking forward to Breaking Dawn part 1. I'm not among them but I get it. Really, I do. I may not think the films are moviemaking at it's finest but to each his (or her) own.


The movie opening has inspired in DQ a renewed interest in my knitting. Specifically, she wants me to make a pair of Bella's Mitts for her. I had mentioned it ages ago and even bought the yarn but then it sat, and sat, and sat. Now my daughter is so hot to have a pair of these mitts to wear to the midnight showing that she enlisted a knitter friend of mine to split the task with me. That was the last straw! Out came the needles and I've been snagging knitting time whenever I can.

I will finish them (by myself) In time if it kills me. My knitter friend is a lovely person but there are some things you just need to do yourself.

The Neighborhood Halloween Party

Last weekend we did something we haven't done in years. We went to the neighborhood Halloween party. Boy has it changed. It's gotten so much bigger and there are food vendors there now. It was fun for all of us. The girls and I ate, played games, and looked at all the cool costumes.



Tuba Guy was there in costume. He's become quite the local celebrity.



We all took turns pushing Marissa in her stroller and carrying her. Carrying was the better choice for showing off her wings. She was Tinkerbelle.



DQ went with us too. Bruce was going to accompany his girls but threw his back out (needed to stay home and watch football) at the last minute. We had plenty of fun without him. See below.



That is pie that you see all over her face. It was apparently up her nose too. That's the price you pay for beating your mother in a pie eating contest. So. Much. Fun.

Halloween 2011

Yesterday was Halloween and it was unlike any that Bruce and I had experienced before. The best way to describe it was an intersection. On the one hand we had Miss M who is not yet ready for Halloween and trick or treating. On the other, we had DQ and Stink who went trick or treating with friends. They don't need us to take them around anymore. Not only that - DQ didn't even need a ride to her friends house because another friend drove her. (I'm trying really hard to get used to that)



I'm still waiting for DQ to turn our pie pumpkins into pumpkin bread but Stinkette and I couldn't let the holiday slip by without making jack-o-lanterns so we went and got 2 bigger pumpkins for that purpose and carved them on Sunday. Stink used one of the templates provided with the pumpkin carving tools to create a spooky tableau with a crow. I shamelessly ganked an idea from another blog and featured Miss M's hands in my creation.



Here are all three of our girls last night. A zombie, a vampire, and a sweet baby girl. Miss M had a costume this year too but I'll share that tomorrow.