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?

A New Interview Series

I always love a good interview, especially when it gets my gears going.  This theme popped into my head on a beautiful & sunny, relaxing Sunday afternoon last August after a good long text-chat with an old babysitting charge of mine (what else do you call those that you used to babysit?).

I've decided to interview all the "kids" I used to babysit and see where they are now.

I have to admit it's a little scary to believe some are in *gulp* High School (?!) already, while others are (luckily) still in elementary.  Intrigued?  Stay tuned!

Shane

Cobin

Hope

Lauren (coming soon)

Teddy & Charlie (coming soon)

Claudio (coming soon)

Katy & Molly (coming soon)

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?

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?

Blogger's Block Challenge

Since I have been battled writer's block before, I thought doing *all* of these prompts might be a fun way to get some interesting and different content on this blog.  I stumbled upon this article through Bloglovin' and I have been quite impressed with the quality of the articles they send.

Anyway, here are the topics I'll be covering, to be posted whenever I don't have other timely content to write about.  Sound fun?

POST IDEAS FOR THE STUMPED BLOGGER, PART ONE

Source: Sometimes Sweet blog

1. Behind the Scenes. A few photos of your morning routine, what makeup you love to use, or even your walk to work. Take your readers into your world and show them something new, from your point of view. No matter how big or small it may seem to you, it will most likely always be interesting to someone reading your blog, as we are all curious creatures by nature.

2. Stream of Consciousness. Sit down and write. Really write. I call this a brain dump and they are my favorite posts to read on others' sites. Talk about your day, your thoughts, what you're dreaming of, what you're scared of. Just write and don't stop for a good 10 minutes. 

3. Share a Snapshot. Think back to a particular time in your life- it can be big, like the first day of high school or the day you met your partner, or it can be small, like getting the mail yesterday or riding the train to work. Take that experience and capture it in a paragraph. Describe it; tell a story. Create an image for the reader and allow them to be right there with you, along for the ride.

4. Photo-an-Hour. Take your camera (or iPhone if that's more convenient) and commit to taking one photo per hour the entire day. Start when you first wake up. At the end of the day compile all of your photos into a post, and write little blurbs about each moment in time. 7:07am- wake up. Feeling so tired but ready to start the day.

5. An "I'm good at this!" post. Sometimes I feel like I see the same kind of DIY projects floating around the internet over and over again. It would be so nice to see some new ideas, from new people, even if you're not necessarily a DIY-blogger. So what are you good at? Maybe you're an expert BLT-maker, or you taught your dog how to do really neat tricks, or you still enjoy getting out your old keyboard and playing songs. Teach your readers how to do it themselves! Just share it, even if it feels a little out there. In my opinion, fresh and good and out there are pretty awesome.

6. Share a collection. What do you collect? Take photos of your whole collection, then of a few favorite items. Tell your readers the story of how the collection came about, and talk a bit about those special pieces. There's a reason you love these things enough to collect them, so share some of that passion in the post.

7. Borrow a Feature. So many bloggers have particular features they do regularly. For example, I do Currently posts,Jen does Weekly Parenting Ups and Downs, and Diana does Friday Darlings. There are so many bloggers out there who something special and unique to their blog, that it could be fun to try it out for a post. Just be sure to give credit where credit is due and share where the feature is from, along with a link. 

8. Song and a Story. Pick a song in your life, maybe your wedding song, a song from an old boyfriend, a party song from college, just a song that has some sort of meaning, and tell your readers about it. Share the song in a one-track playlist, then write the story of the song. Where did you first hear it? What does it mean to you? What do you feel when you hear it?

9. What's in Your _____. The "What's in Your Bag" posts are super popular, but I would love to see what's in your car's glove compartment. Or your junk drawer, makeup drawer, etc. Post a photo of what's in there, and talk a bit about each thing. 

10. The Best ______ Ever. Choose a topic, like Meg Ryan movies or blueberry muffins, and gather together what you'd need to find "the best ______ ever." Maybe you'll screen five of the most well-known Meg Ryan movies and crown the winner, or try out four blueberry muffin recipes and pick the very best. This can be a one post project, or span into a mini project as you search for the very best of whatever you choose to highlight.

I'm curious to see if anyone else picks up this challenge.  Please leave your link in the comment section if you do.  Thanks!

Seed Swap 2014

I promised some back-logged posts.  Unfortunately this one doesn't have pictures :-\  But there is a great link about sustainability!  I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comment section.  More posts on the way!

3/10/14:
I'm so ready for the snow to melt and spring to get here so I can start planting my seeds!

I love the annual Seed Swap that The Toledo Botanical Gardens hosts every year.  It is such a great way to get new, FREE seeds for the garden plus discover other local organizations that share and support similar interests.  This year I discovered Toledo-Lucas County Sustainability Commission and I'm so excited to see what great improvements they bring to this area.  One of my long-time desires is actually on the THIS YEAR list!: Complete Streets!  (aka, safe road sharing between bicyclists, cars, & pedestrians!)

This year I picked up a lot of flower seeds for growing a variety in front of the white picket fence we will be putting in at the back of our yard, separating us from the alley, to replace the rotten one we took down our second summer here.

I also picked up a few veggie seeds for kolhrabi, beets, yellow squash & zucchini.   But my favorite finds this year were definitely the Sustainability Commission.

5/3/14
I also swung by the Plant Swap and picked up some lemon balm, white violets, gerber daisies, and citronella.  So far I planted the lemon balm in a planter, the citronella in a self-watering container, and the daisies & violets in a flower bed border.  The lemon balm is doing well, the citronella needs weeding and I haven't checked on the flowers in a little while.  They are interplanted with poppies.  :)

Banana Oat Cookie Sandwichs

Photo courtesy of Jessica Murnane

Lately I've been experimenting with my diet to omit milk and dairy as I believe they might be upsetting little EJ's stomach.  And I remembered these cookie sandwiches that my sister (a newly transitioned vegan from vegetarian) shared with me at her last visit.  Being vegan, they naturally don't contain any dairy and since I've been running out of foods to eat (or at least, ideas), I gave this recipe a try.  -- and doubled it straight off the bat.  Luckily it doubles easily which made 15 sandwiches.

At first I thought they would take so much time and effort to put together, but after reading the recipe, they are just like Vegan Muffins, with one extra step: assembling the sandwiches.  The frosting is thick, so I recommend using a knife to scoop and spread it (instead of a spoon, like I first tried).

I had a tablespoon or two of filling left over so I would say be generous when frosting the first cookie.  They taste so much better with lots of that cocoa flavor, too :)

Here's the recipe.  Let me know if you try it and how you like them!

Friday Finds

Whoops!  Looks like I almost forgot about my pledge to post once a week!  Luckily I already had this one started so I could add some lovely finds that I thought you might enjoy as well.

I came across a lot of green living, bicycle transportation, and living intentionally small this week.  I posted a lot of my favorites on twitter.

On top of that, I finally responded to an email from Bicycle City which was in response to my request for more info.  First time I actually heard from someone (I've been following them since 2007) and I was tickled to death!!

My husband taught me how to use Pocket to save articles for later reading instead of leaving 15 tabs open on my browser (and thus slowing my browsing to a CRAWL....).

After "meeting" Sarah through Liesl's 3 Question interview series, I proceeded to pin about a dozen recipes from her blog: The Vanilla Bean Blog.  One of which I have already tried my hand at.

This board has some great eye candy for contemplating yarn storage as we continue to plan our addition (and my little etsy corner).

This might be a great way to use up my wool scraps & also allow us to stop buying dryer sheets.

And I've been doing a lot of swagbucks these last two weeks to reach my daily goal for the whole month to get a bonus 300 points.  Does anyone else use swagbucks?  Once I got the hang of it, it has been a great background addition to my daily computer use to earn a few giftcards toward fun things :)  We are currently saving for Home Depot giftcards for home improvement projects.

What did you find worthwhile this week?