Stormy Weather....

It's rockin' and rollin' out there today! Stormy, wet, windy as crap! Just in typing this post.... the power has flickered twice! Yikes! I checked Weather.com... there are "gusts" predicted from 39-60 miles an hour!! Woah!

I didn't sleep well last night.... the ROAR of the wind, and the tree branches hitting the window made for a very loud night. Plus, Travis was tossing and turning next to me, which kept me awake, as well.

I had to go do my (27-week!!) 1-hour blood glucose test this morning. I went to the lab at 7:00am.... and they gave me a Lemon-Lime drink this time. It wasn't as bad as the orange-flavored one.... which just made me wanna puke. They also only took 2 vials of blood, unlike my 14 week visit, where they took enough for a whole OB panel. Like, um, 8 vials? So, it wasn't so bad. I guess.

I had my iPod, and was rockin' Justin Timberlake, and knitting for the hour I had to wait in the office. I started a pair of Little Turtle Knits Picky Pants last night. They are a dark raspberry color, and I am going to make them capris and do the picot trim along the ankles.

I really want to try dying some yarn up with Koolaid, as I have seen some awesome results on Ravelry.

It looks like I will have a lot of time for knitting, as the storms are forecasted to be going strong this weekend.

I do need to venture out later to go to Trader Joes.... but for the most part, we are staying inside today!

Thank goodness we have the seldom-used Playdough, paints, and Travis' new Thomas the Train Aquadoodle from Christmas to hopefully keep us occupied, electricity or no! :)

Baking cookies, and a baby....

I love holiday baking! I just have to stagger it out this year, so not to be overwhelmed by a 2-day-bake-athon as in previous years.... pre-child, mais oui!

Anyway... I am not working anymore, and I used to bake for those I worked with, bosses, officemates... but all that is no more.

Today, we're having our Parent's Place holiday potluck. I baked up a batch of these yummy Black-Bottom Coconut Bars this morning, and they are cooling in the pan, awaiting slicing. Our whole place smells so good right now! I also did some slice-and-bake cookies adorned with colored sugar this morning. I made the dough a few days ago, and wrapped it up and tucked it in the fridge. The dough was left from The Spritz cookie baking attempt Friday - which - sadly, failed... by no fault of the recipe. That dubious honor belongs to the Wilton cookie press I used (brand new - by the way)and it sucked so much.... but a replacement is on its way to me... damn right - I called and complained!

Yesterday Travis helped me cut out (packaged, GASP!) "Gingerbread Boy Cookies" and I need to stop by the store today and pick up some pasteurized egg whites for the Royal Icing. I tried and tried to find Meringue Powder in the grocery store... but I was only able to find the huge-ass Wilton can of Powdered Meringue at the craft store. For $8.00. Um.... no thank you! So, I will make it with pasteurized egg whites instead... and today we will decorate our Gingerbread Boy Cookies! :)

Anyway... the holiday projects are coming along.... slowly, but surely. The calendar is nearly complete... the knitting is... well... it's coming. Eventually.

I had my 23 week OB appointment yesterday... unremarkable... which is exactly how I like them. BP was 100/70 so... Woohoo! I have to do the GD test again in 3 weeks. They have you do it at 12 and 26 weeks now, apparently. So, ugh. But whatever.

I need to stop by the bookstore to pick up a book for our $5.00 book exchange before class today. So, guess I need to go now...

falalalalalala

Lately.... my ambition... it's just vanished. I want to blog, I want to post comments on the ones I read. I want to change my blog header...I need to clean.... need to finish (or even start) various projects for Christmas gifts.... I want to bake... want to Christmas shop - but ugh. I'm always tired, procrastinating.... just plain lazy, I suppose. Naps sound good, so do early bedtimes.... but not what I need to do. This magical 2nd trimester where I'm supposed to have all this energy - it just eludes me!

We had our big ultrasound last weekend. And..... for those of you that don't already know.... IT'S A GIRL!!!!

Her name is Ashley... and we are super-excited to meet her in April.

Speaking of, Ashley is moving more and more these days. Most times, when I wake up in the morning... I feel her moving... low in my abdomen. The flutters, I know will become more and more strong over the next few weeks... even painful at times. Right now, I am just enjoying the gentle, sweet movements and relishing the reminder that she is always here with me - throughout my day.

How my morning started....

(crappy picture.... but my first Moblog!!)

I had to go to the lab and do the 1 hour glucose tolerance test. Meaning....
I got there at 7:30, and proceeded to have to down this nast-ay orange syrupy crap in 5 minutes. Oh, yeah.... on an empty stomach. No water chaser. Lovely. Then I had to wait there for an hour..... not bad.... I had my iPod, and my knitting....


And then they took eight vials of blood from me. Lovely, no?

I joked with the nurse that she could go ahead and put half the vials back when she took them out of the drawer. She was sweet, and laughed.... and tried to keep it quick and painless.

When I was pregnant with Travis, I didn't even have to do the glucose test until, like 22 weeks.... so having it done this early was new to me. And I have felt tired, cranky, and crapppy all day long because of it. Yay. :(

But, I guess I just don't do well with blood draws.

How to be a Domestic Sleep-Deprived Goddess...

I was hit with early morning insomnia. Meaning, I woke up thereabouts 4:00am to pee. Then.... no sleep. Even though I lay in bed for nearly an hour. So, I threw on a robe, and came out to the living room. I knit a bit, and then surfed a little on the 'net.

Then, decided, well I've got 4 perfectly good blackened organic bananas on the counter.
So, I did the only logical thing. And right now I have a loaf of Nigella's Banana Bread tucked into the oven, baking away. (Sans raisins or nuts, only 'cause we didn't have any)

Um, yes, as a matter of fact it is only 6:30 AM!

When life hands you bananas, you make banana bread.

Busy, busy....

So, the whole regularly scheduled blogging? I guess I lied! :)

This week has been busy, yet low-key. And at least the sun came out today.... HELLLO??! It's SUMMER for Eff's sake! But you wouldn't know it due to the lack of sun in these parts.

But, definately regularly sheduled knititng is in full-force!
My Stitch 'N Bitch on Tuesday was a near-bust. There were 5 people.... and the all left early. So, me, myself, and I for the last hour. Oh well! I am making the Everlasting Bagstopper from Knitty. It's with Sugar 'n Cream. I need to take in-progress pics, and add it to Ravelry. It's fun, and bright, and mindless! And best of all? NO PURLING! WOOHOO! :)

Also, working on a baby cardigan for a friend who is due in October. I certainly hope she's having a girl, cause It's lavender! :)

I think, for now, I need to put the Mystery Shawl away.... it's just not enjoyable knitting..... right now at least. I have to be 110% focused, lest I end up with too many yarn-overs, or dropped stitches, and ripping it out it driving me nuts!

I need to start doing more digi-scrapping... I just downloaded a bunch of new stuff from Pepermint Creative. Hopefully, I will be inspired! :)

So, yeah. I am continuing my endovers to drastically cut out my Starbucks addiction, and so far, so good. I have not had a migraine, and hopefully it will be okay, especially since I LOVE the caffeine, it just does not love me! I have been sleeping better since cutting it out, and I really think a couple of times a week should be the max. We'll see.

I have yet to make it back to the gym.... since I wrecked my shoulder. I really, really need to go. Grr. Motivation is hard, sometimes!

I guess I'd better enjoy the last week of my 20s.... cause 30 is staring me in the face. YIKES!

More Stitchin' than Bitchin'

I found a nice local knitting group and I went today for the first time tonight. I met on of the ladies online through Ravelry.



She recently moved to the Peninsula, from the East Coast, and has a 2 year old son. YAY!

The other Tuesday night knitting group seems to have dissolved since the late spring/ early summer is setting in. I was kinda bummed, but this group seems very cool! :)

Domestic diva? Ha!

Yawn.

Tired.....

I was planning on doing some laundry this morning before our walk.... but the recycled Airborne tube that we use for the laundry quarters has vanished. WTF??? Most likely, my lame ass left it downstairs last time I washed clothes. Insulting enough.... and they raised the price to wash from 75 cents to $1.25, and from 50 cents to 75 cents to dry. Jeff and I are seriously thinking about splurging on weekly fluff & fold at our laundromat. Cause seriously? 3 washers and 3 dryers for the whole complex of 30 some units. Cheap-ass rental company who lets crap break and takes their sweet ass time fixing it... So, it's not uncommon (at all) for a washer and/or dryer to be out of order for a week, or longer.

And, see? I am home, and getting laundry, soap, and toddler up and down the 17 steep-ass stairs to the laundry during the week is damn near impossible.

Plus, we really, really hate to do - and especially fold - the mountains of laundry that ensue.


Lazy, much? MMM. Maybe. ;)

Anyway.... this cold is still hanging on. I want it to get the hell on.

Nothing much going on besides that. I started a "Heartbreakingly Cute Baby Kimono" from the MD Knitting book.... made with Rowan Denim Yarn. It's all in garter stitch. Yay! No purling! I am making it bigger, cause it's newborn size, and seriously? Small looking! Still unsure if I am gifting this or keeping it for the next one. But, I guess it depends on how it turns out! LOL!


Anyway.... I need to finish up some of my gift knitting, and package it up. Cause Leslie is gonna pop soon!

And, also? If there's nothing I love more than folding clothes, it's weaving in ends. And, boy, do I have some ends to weave in. See?

Travis has got a brand new hat!

Cheeser!, originally uploaded by tjsmommabear.

First hat I've made for Travis. It's been exactly a week today that I've been using my new Knifty Knitter loom. This is the 5th hat I've made. The first time I've done any purling, though. This is with Lion Homespun yarn in Delft Blue. I really ike it! It brings out the blue in his eyes.