November 17, 2009
I know, I know, I really need to do an updated project post. I’ve been working on LOTS of stuff. In the meantime though, I just have to post a picture of these toddler critter mittens I just finished per special request for a friend. Aren’t they the cutest???? (They are my own design, BTW) I just happened to have enough yarn left for a pair to go on etsy. Stay tuned, they will be finished and posted there soon…
November 17, 2009
Boy, being a stay at home mom is a lot of work! Munchkin has been teething (he popped 3 in one day last week and was NOT a happy camper!) and wasn’t feeling well this weekend, so he has been demanding a lot of my time lately. And he’s becoming a lot more mobile (getting into stuff!) I think he will be walking within the next month or so… Oh, and he stopped eating anything but finger foods and milk. He absolutely will not let me feed him with a spoon at all, and that means he needs a bath (and the floor needs mopped!) after every meal. Fun times:-)
It hasn’t been all bad around here though; we’ve been working on a more structured sleep schedule, and Munchkin is sleeping SO much better! He has been taking 2 one-hour naps during the day (with an occaisional 1 1/2 hour nap!) and going to bed around 7:30. And he’s back to falling asleep on his own when I lay him down. He has such a sweet personality! He loves to cuddle and give slobbery kisses (especially in the mirror!) and now says kitty and mama. He can actually be pretty gentle with the cats too, when they let him get close enough!
We took Munchkin camping for the first time the other day out at Lake Wedington and had a blast. The weather in October was rainy and miserable, but November has started off beautifully. We didn’t get a lot of hiking in since there was a youth hunt going on in the National Forest and didn’t think to bring anything orange, but it was sure nice to relax.
I’ll end this post with a new favorite recipe that Miles LOVES. This is how I have been getting him to eat his veggies:-)
Roast Veggie Sticks:
Cut up a couple of sweet potatoes, carrots and parsnips into thick french-fry sized strips. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil (I do this in a ziploc bag) and a pinch of salt and pepper then spread out on a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. After the first 20 minutes or so, drizzel the strips with 2 TBS of real maple syrup and stir to flip them over and mix in the syrup. Finish baking until the veggies are very soft and slightly crispy on the outside.
I think I usually end up eating more of these than Munchkin does:-)
October 26, 2009
The past two weekends have been simply gorgeous! I finally got some pictures uploaded (the laptop is temporarily out of comission, so we hooked up the dinosaur desktop) so I’ll keep this post short and sweet and let the pictures speak for themselves:
The hiking pictures, btw, are from Hide Out Hollow near Boxley Valley and the Buffalo River. There are so many beautiful trails over that way!
October 13, 2009
So much can change in a month! One month ago, I could set Munchkin down with some toys and he was pretty much contained. Sure, he would scoot around, but he wasn’t so fast that I couldn’t keep up with him. It wasn’t to much of an ordeal to set him down in the kitchen and fix dinner, or in the bedroom to fold laundry, etc… Now, WOW! He is all over the place. He crawls, sometimes on hands and knees and sometimes on hands and feet with his butt up in the air, he climbs over anything in his way, he pulls up and walks along furniture. He goes nonstop. He opens drawers and empties the contents, pulls books off the bookcase (and cats off the window ledge!), eats anything in sight (including cat food!). He gives bear hugs and great big slobbery kisses. He loves to chase his mama around the couch on hands and knees laughing hysterically. He loves eating finger foods like cheerios and bits of butternut squash muffin. He has also decided he’s just a one (short) nap kind of guy. Oh, and I could’ve sworn I heard him say kitty the other day…
October 13, 2009
Whew… finally got the little stinker down for a nap.
Munchkin spent his first 7 months sleeping so well that I actually caught myself wondering upon occasion why it is that so many new parents make a big deal about sleep deprivation these first few months. What is the big deal anyways? I mean, it isn’t bad at all 
Maybe I’m just super mom or something. Ha ha… I am eating my words now! Munchkin has lately developed quite an attitude and has really been testing it out. I used to just lay him in his crib after breastfeeding him at bedtime or naptime, awake or not, and he would just go to sleep. If he woke up in the night, I would feed him, put him back to bed, and he would drift right back to sleep. Piece of cake. For seven months it worked this way. Then… this past week he has started pitching a royal fit if I even approach the crib with him in my arms. And if I try putting him down after he falls asleep he wakes up. every. time. Same at nap time. He’s not hungry, doesn’t need changed, is barely-keeping-his-eyes-open-tired, but he WON’T sleep in his crip. I’ve tried rocking him back to sleep and putting him back to bed… and repeating until three AM. I’ve tried going into his room, laying him back down without saying anything, and leaving, but he just stands back up and screams. I’ve even tried letting him cry for a while, but that just makes both of us more upset. The only thing that works is putting him in bed with us. Spoiled, I know, but at 3 in the morning I’m just ready for some sleep and if I put him in bed with us, he’s out like a rock in two seconds flat.
sigh. At least he’s asleep now. Better get the floors swept and mopped before he wakes up. They’re starting to look scary…
October 8, 2009
Life has been busy, but wonderful. Have I mentioned that I LOVE this time of year??? We went to the Applefest last weekend, and while the fest was a little short on apples (there were a couple of booths that had apples or apple-related stuff, cider, applecakes, etc…, but it was mostly just a craft fair/carnival) it was still fun. There were also yardsales and flea markets open ALL over town, and we picked up an old Radio Flyer wagon for Munchkin that needs a little work at one of them. We didn’t get to do the kite flying because the wind completely died down by evening, but we can always do that another day.
I am also beginning to have renewed faith in my gardening skills. It seems like fall crops are a lot more successful (at least for me!). Our second crop of beans, radishes, carrots, and swiss chard are absolutely thriving. In fact, we have more chard than we know what to do with! Oh, and we got our chickens back (Husband’s sister was kindly caring for them when we were considering selling our house), so our teeny tiny farm is complete. Except I still really wish I had room for a dairy goat or two:-)
Munchkin loves to spend time outdoors and is facinated by all things nature. Bugs, leaves, twigs… Unfortunately, we haven’t had as many opportunities to go hiking as we usually do this time of year, but we still get out whenever we can, even if it is just a walk to the park or the store. He also loves to “help” in the garden:
(I did rinse the carrot, btw, before I let him gnaw on it… and we had it for supper with some other carrots and fresh green beans… yummy!)
My is he growing up fast! He’s all over the place now, crawling and pulling up, and even letting go and standing for several seconds unsupported. I counted 15 seconds the other day! He is such a sweet, happy boy. I just can’t tell you how happy he has made us.
Here he is birdwatching (after running off the poor kitties who were sitting on the ledge before)
I have been working on a project update post for a while now, but Munchkin has been keeping me extra busy. I did finally restock some things on my Etsy site though, so check it out!
October 3, 2009
…time for homemade apple sauce and apple butter, fresh baked pumpkin pie, creamy pumpkin soup, fuzzy warm mittens and hats and socks, beautiful Ozark Mountain leaves… happy fall, every one!
I really, REALLY wanted to go hiking today, but husband has to speak at the Men’s Breakfast at church this morning, so we have to be in town. Bummer. We are planning to go to the Applefest in Lincoln this afternoon though, and maybe take Munchkin kite flying this evening. All in all, a pretty fun day!
Munchkin has changed SO much this past month! He went from not crawling at all and just barely “scooting” at 7 months to crawling ALL over the place and standing completely unsupported for up tp 15 seconds at almost 8 months! This kid is wearing me out:-) His new favorite obsessions are cat food and potting soil, which he can seek out like radar from across the house. Oh, and he loves to sing (in the highest voice I’ve ever heard) and dance. It’s SO cute!
September 15, 2009
These three together crack me up:
See what we have to put up with??? EVERYTHING goes in the mouth!
September 14, 2009
Munchkin was supposed to start his swimming lessons this weekend, but his instructor was sick. Of course, we didn’t check our phone messages, so we didn’t know that his first lesson was cancelled. Anyways, we ended up driving around over on that side of town and came across a quilt fair at a local Museum, so we stopped. There were beautiful contemporary and antique quilts of all kinds. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera with me (because I thought we would be swimming!) but I did notice that the Museum grounds were all decorated for the festival with pumpkins and cornstalks. I knew there were some cute pictures in there somewhere, so we went back after everyone was gone and brought the camera. Isn’t my little pumpkin precious???
The tongue thing is showing up in lots of pictures lately… he has just figured out that he can blow spit and is SO proud of himself!
This is an old water tank by the barn at the museum
I think this one is my fav:-)
and family. It takes some ingenuity to get a family picture using the self-timer when there is a baby involved…
I think I am giving up on the password protected posts for now, at least the picture ones. I still like the idea of not using our real names and of course, avoiding personal information about us, but I am just too picture happy for my own good. I keep thinking, “Oh, I would love to post this picture, but then I’ll have to add a password…” So then I just don’t post anything. Besides, I am thinking of trying to start up a photo business, and since most of my portfolio thus far is pictures of my family, I will have to use our pictures to advertise anyways… I don’t know. Maybe I will revisit the idea later. What do you guys think? Password or no password on pictures?
September 8, 2009
This Labor Day weekend, Munchkin turned 7 months old. He is getting so big! We spent part of the weekend visiting family at their cabin on the White River, and went for a hike at nearby Rush Mountain. I really wish we would have gotten there earlier while it was still cool (thanks a lot, husband!:-) because there was a lot more to see than what we were able to take in. I am a bit of a history buff, so this hike was particularly interesting to me. Rush Mountain was once the sight of a booming Zinc mining community, but when zinc prices fell after WWI, the town dried up. Now, only a handful of dilapidated buildings and stone foundations, as well as several fenced-off abandoned mine shafts, remain. There’s a short (less than 1/2 mile) interpretive trail with several plaques telling the story of Rush, and a longer (approximately 4 mile) hiking trail. Definitely worth checking out! We will have to go back sometime when it isn’t so hot…
A bit about Munchkin at 7 months:
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