Interviewing: Hope

Hope was such an education for me.  She showed me how pleasant & respectful a well-educated young adult could be.  She and her family have placed in me a goal to bring up my own children with her kind of mutual respect & fun-loving attitude.  
Fun fact: Hope took the pictures that I now use for KnittedHome's online presence, including my profile & banner picture with my then-cell phone.

Hope
- How old are you & what grade are you in?  What state do you live in now?
I am 17 and in 11th grade. I live in Oregon.

- How old were you when I started watching you?
I was 10.

- What is your favorite memory or activity that we did together?
I really enjoyed when we picked cherries and then made jam.

- Did you think I was a nice or mean babysitter when I watched you?  Any particular reason?  Do you still think I'm nice/mean?
I thought you were firm but fair.  You didn't treat me as a little kid and I appreciated that.

- Do you have any advice for me on being a parent?
Whenever you think you are being patient enough, be more patient.

Parents:
- What were your first impressions of me?
Smart, pleasant, reliable.

- What made you call me back?
General good impression with a very positive attitude.

- Do you have any advice as I embark on my own journey into parenthood?
Trust your judgment and don't over-think your parenting decisions.

The cellphone cozi Hope designed & I crocheted for her.

You can check out more in this series here.

Interviewing: Cobin

Cobin has been a wonderful supporter of my knitting & a beautiful reminder that Peppa Pig is my favorite show.  He would "save" it to watch with me.

Cobin
- How old are you & what grade are you in?  What state do you live in now?
5, Preschool, Ohio

- How old were you when I started watching you?
When I was a baby

- What is your favorite memory or activity that we did together?
When you brought me a Car puzzle and we put it together.

- Did you think I was a nice or mean babysitter when I watched you?  Any particular reason?
You were a good one.

- Do you have any advice for me on being a parent?
Be nice; be nice to your baby, take care of your baby.

Parents:
- What were your first impressions of me?
My first impressions of you were that you were friendly, sweet, and down-to-earth!  And smart and responsible!  Respectful, caring and helpful.  :)

- What made you call me back?
All of the above qualities made me call you back.

- Do you have any advice as I embark on my own journey into parenthood?
Breathe!  Be patient.  Don't take things personally (tantrums/meltdowns, etc).  Respond to your child with love and limits!  You don't need this advice because you were always good at it when you were caring for Cobin.
     - haha, Thanks Rebecca :)  But I have definitely felt your words come to mind a couples nights already ;)

You can check out more in this series here.

What Does Your Workspace Look Like?

I wish this is what I looked like when blogging & commenting...

I just want my little blogging corner to look like one of these pins.  

  

I think that's why I pin these; not because they all promise the same thing, but because their pictures are so convincing that if I just follow their "10 things to..." whatever, then I'll have the same pretty, streamline workspace, too.  :-P  (You can see more on my Etsy Board here)

   

Anyone else?

Putting it in Perspective

A couple weeks ago, I asked the city inspector to come out & see if we could start insulating the second story of the addition (future master bedroom).  I was having my second productive day in a row, chugging along through laundry, dishes, phone calls & picking up the house - with EJ in the play pen - when the knock came and I realized the house was a disaster!

2 laundry baskets waiting to be folded; an arm chair piled with half my yarn stash & etsy items waiting to be photographed; baby toys all over... :/

...not to mention all the dishes covering my entire kitchen counter.

But then it was like a voice reminding me:

Be thankful that I have a washer & dryer (no laundromat trips) and clothes TO wash.
Thank God for a healthy baby who is meeting & exceeding her milestones that we need a play pen; that we were even BLESSED with a beautiful daughter (some are not so lucky) & the resources to provide for her.
Thank God for such a beautiful, sturdy house that we can afford to live in & even afford to build on to, for our need of more space.
Thank God almighty for my beautiful, loving family & the hard working, selfless husband He has provided me.

And how could I not be over the moon thankful for this beautiful face?

So on this day I felt the call to show my thanks through service in the home: cleaning & organizing as best as I could with a little 8mo between my feet.  And I have to say, at the end of the day, I felt quite accomplished.  :)

Navy Blue Beanie

Last Thursday I finished Michelle's blue beanie.  A nice, classic crochet beanie with one row of white along the edge for a little pop.  

It is amazing what one dash of a contrasting color with do!

Even with EJ on the move, I'm still finding little snippets of time to sit down and craft - even if I don't get to blog about it much.  :(  So I've been trying to at least make myself post to Instagram.  Hope to see you there!

Decorating for Christmas

Slowly but surely it is starting to look like Christmas around here!

Hubby hung the Christmas lights on the house last week & I hung up the wreath on our door.

I had hopes to get three stockings knit up by now but it hasn't yet.  Maybe next week?  Last night I got around to making this crochet star garland, though, and that is a decoration crossed off the list!

We're planning to pick out a real Christmas tree this year so EJ has the full holiday experience.  It should be up by this weekend and I'll update with a photo when we do.

What decorations have you put up?

Hair Bows & Bow Ties

I finally got around to trying this nifty little pattern back in March (was it really that long ago?), whipping up quite a few more than I intended, and I'm ecstatic to introduce it in the Etsy shop!

Add a bow to any hat or headband in the shop

I think this pattern was originally intended to be a little girl's hair bow but I have been on a quest to find cute *boy* clothes & accessories before EJ was born.  Using my grandfather and his adorable bow ties as inspiration, I think these would make wonderful bow ties for a little boy!  What do you think??

I haven't figured out how to safely (i.e. not a choking hazard) attach these around a little neck, but I'm open to suggestions.  In the mean time, I'm also selling these under supplies.

I plan to add many more colors soon; I just had this baby blue skein to use up.  What are you working on today?

Naptime Check-in @ 7 Months

Currently Busy with:
-House Addition

     We tore off the little bump-out on the back of the house at the end of June to make way for the addition of a little back room (which we'll use as a sitting room/Etsy area, half bath & new back door) off the kitchen & master upstairs.

EJ sleeping just before the first sledge hammer swing.

However, we didn't anticipate it taking ALL of JULY to get our permits and then another month to get our foundation dug, poured and block laid before we could start the framing in September.

Putting up the I-beams to support the second floor.

Trusses go up for the roof.

Hubby attaching trusses.

He's having too much fun.  ;)

Hubby finally has the whole thing wrapped in house wrap and we are beginning to get the windows in.  We have already had a few snow flurries (Halloween night) and the forecast is calling for more unseasonably cool weather (30*s) this next week so we are hoping to get the rest of the windows in and the siding on very quickly.

-Catching EJ before she smacks her head on the ground now that she is pulling herself up on EVERYTHING.  She has been crawling like a pro for a month now (ever since we got a rug in the living room, she took off on Day 2) and her toys can't hold her interest longer than 2 seconds.  She will definitely be an explorer like her dad.  Did I mention she is nearly SEVEN MONTHS already??

I swear we have better fashion sense, this was Halloween (that is a Jack-o-lantern sweatshirt & the hat was knit by my Aunt who taught me).

gif of EJ crawling & getting into a yarn bag

Latest Obsessions:
Peaky Blinders - set in 1920s Britain about a gang of brothers and their exploits to claw their way to the top of the underworld? or at least illegal money-making.

Shutterfly - I'm trying to stay on top of backing up my pictures (and emptying them off my phone), especially of EJ.  So far I've downloaded the app on my phone to make it easier to upload pictures that way (no computer and cord-hook up necessary; though over wi-fi definitely keeps the data bill low ;) ), and then during nap times I organize those pictures into albums by month (including big events of the month in the title) and writing the picture's corresponding story in the "description" which is printed on the back of the picture any time I order prints.  Score one for record keeping!

Swagbucks - mostly because I can get Amazon giftcards and I've been using them to bulk up our cloth diaper stash.  Yay for FREE cloth diapers!  And FREE baby shower gifts :)

Couponing has dropped to the very back burner (unless we are low on something, then I try to watch Joni's blog for deals).

But knit & crochet classes have really picked up at Michael's!  And I have another consignment opportunity in the works.  I hope to be posting about it soon!

Sweet Cheeks

I can now spill the beans & tell you Knitted Home is in a physical store!!  This adorable boutique here in Toledo has agreed to sell baby mittens, socks & longies as well as requesting shorties for the warmer weather season.

I'm so excited to receive more feedback from a different market experience compared to online and craft show shopping.

Do you sell in a physical store?  Do you have any advice or suggestions?  Pros and Cons?

EJ Arrives & the First 2 Months in Pictures

4 hours old

Our new world began Thursday, April 10th with the arrival of Elvera Grace (rhymes with "Vera").  She was a perfectly average 7lb 6oz & 20-inch long baby girl whom I can't imagine NOT knowing.

24 hours old

I never knew how time-consuming and mesmerizing a brand new newborn could be until EJ arrived.  I can't stop starring at her beautiful face, kissing her sweet-smelling forehead and holding her tiny hands (she has a strong grip!)  

2 days old

5 days old

6 days old

First outting (to the Library) at 7 days old

2 Weeks old - introduced to her first garden starts

6 Weeks old & starting to show some personality!

9 Weeks old - dead-heading flowers with Dad

10 Weeks old w/ Dad - First Baseball game: Toledo Mud Hens

10 Weeks & really smiling now - though it's been camera shy

10 Weeks old - still sleeping on my chest (yay snuggles!) & Neko has decided EJ isn't going anywhere so she's going to make the best of it and try to still sit on my lap like before.  

And Saturday morning demolition began on the house to start the addition (3rd bedroom + family room/Etsy studio).  Here is EJ about 30 minutes before I swung the first sledge hammer hole in the wall.  Last bit of restful sleep she had that day:

11 Weeks

Hope you enjoyed the pictures; it was fun to look back already. :)  To see more, you can follow me on Instagram.