what i've been up to

This time of the year can get quite hectic with birthdays, graduation parties, baby and bridal showers, and the onset of 'wedding season', but all the excitement really gets me going.

I recently returned from my first trip to Las Vegas.  Four great (and long time) friends from high school joined me for a weekend in the city that seriously NEVER sleeps.  We stayed at the beautiful Paris hotel for three nights, wasted away the afternoons sitting by the pool, and danced, laughed, and talked the nights away at some of the city's hot spots.

We all had such a wonderful time together and we're all looking forward to our next girls weekend... this time maybe a bit closer to home. ;)

We received our new rug from Overstock yesterday.  We had originally ordered it several weeks ago, but they sent us the wrong one and then claimed that it was sold out.  Scott somewhat surprised me with this when he got an email saying it was back in stock.  I love it and I now feel like I have something to work off of for this room.

I've also started a new knitting project for Maria and have been busy sewing in my new sewing room.  It's sew nice to finally have a permanent spot for my machine without having to drag it out every time I want to use it, especially when it comes to repairing clothing.

And tomorrow is a VERY big day in our house.  Maria turns 5!!!  I can't even believe how fast she's growing up.

It just so happened that Scott had the entire weekend off, so tomorrow we will travel to Duluth with her cousin Luke, and meet up with my cousin Stacy and her daughter Zhaina at a local playground.  Afterwards we will treat them all to dinner and ice cream at Maria's favorite restaraunt, Bridgeman's.  Yum!

On Saturday, Scott's mother will be here along with some other guests for an afternoon of talking, laughing, and playing.  A lasagna dinner and my version of the 'Super Epic Rainbow Cake' will follow.  It should be a fantastic weekend.

Oh, and one last tidbit of information... I have finally upgraded to an iPhone!  Seriously what was I thinking two years ago when I didn't think I needed it!  What a great device!  I have completely fallen in love with the Instagram app for taking pictures and have used some of them for this post. My mother mentioned that I'll never use my real camera again, and I think she may be right. :) My username is lateniteknits if you choose to follow me.

Lots to do today, so I guess I'd better get crackin'!  Enjoy your weekend folks!!

Good things

Good things have been happening around here lately and I'm eager to tell you about a few.

First of all, my parents packed up all their things in the Uhaul trailer and headed for Tucson early this morning.  It's bittersweet that they're no longer living there and are now permanent residents of the south, but at the same time we are extremely happy to be moving in and taking over what they've worked so hard on these last 40+ years.  We didn't waste any time getting a professional in there today to redo the hardwood floors upstairs. We won't technically be moved in and living there until the end of the week.  Scott will probably start moving some things in on Tuesday and maybe I can start organizing the kitchen.  It's going to be so nice to once again have a dishwasher as well as a washer and dryer.

Today is Scott's 32nd birthday too!  The girls gave him his gift this morning before he left for work... a black, metal vintage lunch box and the David Sedaris book "When you are engulfed in flames".  I got him David's other book last year for Christmas and he liked it.  From what I've heard, this one is good too.  I've baked chocolate brownies at his request and V.I.P. pizza is what's for dinner.  Yum!

I also knit him up a new winter hat using the Seaman's Cap pattern off ravelry.  I'm calling it "Scott's Seaman". :)  He wore it to work this morning, which made me happy.

And, as we all know, Halloween (which is my least favorite holiday) is tomorrow.

Maria's planning to be a unicorn and Ginger will be a skunk.  I'm not sure how Ginger will handle all the spookiness considering she can't even look at our jack-o-lanterns, but Maria is EXtremely excited.

The girls also have an appointment tomorrow with a speech therapist.  Maria has trouble saying her r's, s's, and l's and Ginger STILL isn't talking.  Although she says 'uh-oh' and 'mama' the majority of what does come out of her mouth sound a lot like grunts... almost like humming.  We're hoping that the therapist, with a lot of dedication, can get some words out of her because I've tried and nothing is working.  She's able to get her point across by pointing and such, but it's frustrating for all of us.  Not to mention I'm DYING to hear her little voice!  I'll let you know how it all goes.

I finished up a little sweater for Ginger last week.  The pattern is pretty easy and would be a great first time sweater project.  It's a bit big around the neck (my fault I'm sure) but I'm beginning to think that she's narrow in the shoulders.  Perhaps this isn't the best neckline for her. It's still pretty cute on her though.

We went for a walk by the lake the other day.  It really felt like fall as I was wishing I had some gloves.  The girls didn't seem to care.  They ran around, up and down the hill, and posed for a moment so I could get a picture.  It's very rare that I get a picture of Ginger with a smile on her face.  It's almost like her and Maria swapped personalities for a minute.

I'm currently in the process of knitting up some stocking stuffers and other Christmas gifts as well as a sweater for Maria.  I've started pinning on Pinterest, AND I've got a book or two (or three) in the works through Blurb... hoping to get at least two of them done by Christmas.  Between all that, moving into the house, and having kids running around, I'm beginning to wonder if I can do it all.  Why do I always seem to take on SO much?? 

I guess it's what keeps me ticking.

More soon!

Someone had a birthday last week

And that someone was Ginger who turned two last Tuesday.

Scott was working the night shift on Monday, so we made plans to have a lasagna dinner with a world famous 5 layer chocolate pie for dessert when he woke up.  The pie was from Betty's, which is a go-to restaurant for tourists here in Two Harbors, and deciding on a flavor was one of my hardest decisions ever.  The entire meal was enjoyed by all, including my dad who came by for dinner.

Afterwards, we drove just outside of town to one of my new favorite places, Flood Bay.  It's pretty much just a parking lot with access to Lake Superior, but the beach there is generally quiet, the waters are calm, and there's an abundance of agates and great skipping rocks.

Upon our arrival, some tourists were heading back to their car and one of them offered to take our picture.  I jumped on the opportunity considering it was Ginger's birthday and that we don't have many photos of us all together.  I thought it turned out kinda cute. :)

Ginger was having a gay 'ole time running back and forth throwing rocks and driftwood into the water.  I remember my mother taking me to the lake when I was little too and she now tells me stories about how she could sit there for hours watching me.  

I couldn't agree more.

But then the rain came.  The girls were joyfully prancing around enjoying the falling raindrops on their dry heads.  Before I knew it, everyone had disappeared back into the car, and I found myself all alone taking pictures.

I finally headed back to the car to see this sweet, two year old face looking at me through the car window.

Ginger received the knitted sweater that I made for her too.  The blue matches her eyes perfectly and the button is made from a rock I found on that same beach we went to that day.

It's a bit too warm for her to wear now, but it won't be long before the long sleeves will come out of hibernation and she'll need that extra layer to keep her warm.

It was a day full of everything and nothing all in one.  No big parties and no fancy presents, but lots of memories to be shared for years to come.

Today, I am....

Today, I am...

~going shopping by myself in search of vintage treasures~

~going to enjoy lunch at Liberty Market with the ones I love most~

~going to have more than my share of my favorite lemon cake~

~going to break in my new TOMS while walking 7th St. in search of said vintage treasures~

~going to enjoy a nice dinner, prepared by my husband, out on the patio~

~not going to stress about what needs to get done~
~going to order my first real cookbook, thanks to my 
mother-in-law~
~not going to let the naughty behavior of my children ruin my day~

~going to embrace the sun and the stifling 100° temperatures~

~going to spend some cash that's burning large hole in my pocket~
~going to enjoy a good 'chick flick' at the end of a great day~

~going to treat myself to an iced hazelnut latte from Starbucks, because they do make them the best~
~not going to wash a single dish~
~going to listen to music that makes me sing and dance~
~going to be completely and utterly selfish~


because, well... today is my birthday and I'm allowed to. :)

Photobooth fun

Remember when I mentioned that we got our picture taken in the photobooth on Maria's birthday?  Well, I took a picture of it on film because my digital camera was broken, and finally got the roll developed today.

We loved when the machine spit this strip out because well, who wouldn't!  Scott was directing everyone on what faces to make and Ginger is straight faced in each one.  She's also wearing the upside down glasses that she refused to take off for over a week. The strip is now hanging on our fridge and will likely stay there for the duration of our travels.  What a great memory of that day, and what a fabulous tradition to begin!

Maria's special day

I have been having the worst time trying to log in to my Blogger account.  Not sure if my Internet connection is bad or if it has something to do with Blogger, but I'll have you know, I intended to post this sooner than today.  Now I'm behind on everything I want to talk about, so don't be surprised if you see another post later on today.


Anyways, Happy Easter to you all! Scott has to work today so the girls and I will just be hanging out at home with no special plans for dinner, but most likely a trip to Target later on today.


I wanted to fill you in on some of the highlights from Maria's birthday.  Plans had changed the night before and we decided to open gifts and have our first scoop of Gelato on her birthday and then celebrate with dinner and cake the day after when Scott could be here.  It worked out swimmingly and everyone was happy.

The Gelato came from a cute little shop real close to the campground called Angel Sweet... and sweet it was!  

Maria predictably chose strawberry and Ginger and I shared a scoop of lemon and a scoop of strawberry.  It was so bright, sweet, and flavorful and I would definitely choose this over ice cream any day.

Maria enjoyed opening her gifts that morning from all of her relatives and both of them were gifted with these cute outfits from Scott's mother.  Maria also received "The Little Mermaid" from her aunt and I swear she hasn't stopped watching it since.

The following day Maria woke up to find a brand new princess bicycle sitting outside the trailer!  Reluctant at first, I believe she will catch on soon enough and we'll find her cruising along beside her father.  We had freshly baked cinnamon rolls for breakfast and a picnic lunch in a park that we hadn't been to.  There were ducks and bridges, a playground, and a small amusement park for kids.  Maria saw the carousel and immediately wanted to hop on.

We made silly faces while getting our picture taken in the photo booth (something I'll share at a later time) followed by a trip to the Dairy Queen for a strawberry sundae.

Her birthday dinner was a hit!  She decided the menu and both girls devoured every bit of what was on their plates.  Afterwards it was triple chocolate cake with caramel, cool whip, and of course a cherry (or two) on top.

I do believe I remember her saying it was the best meal ever.  Hats off to the cooks I suppose :)

It was a full day, but a good one nonetheless.

Bittersweet

These past few weeks Maria has been waking up at the buttcrack of dawn, which then leads to Ginger getting up as well.  This has been a bittersweet change for me.  While I would love for them to sleep in till at least 7:00, this early rising has blessed me with all sorts of changes around this here trailer.  I am graced each morning with the sun rising over the neighbors bushes, I get an earlier start on my day, and the girls both end up napping by 10:30, which gives me time to sit outside before the sun gets too hot and enjoy some quiet knitting.  

The girls also get more time to play, color, swim, explore, and of course fight like all sisters do.  It also gives them more time to drive me nuts, but I'm trying to forget that part :)

Tomorrow is a special little 3 year old's 4th birthday.  We've been a bit perplexed about how to celebrate considering Scott works all day and won't be here to enjoy the festivities.  Instead, and perhaps this is the wrong approach, we're pretending it's on Thursday.  Maria won't know the difference, but there is that bit of quilt that's eating away at me.

We're planning to spend Thursday doing things that she enjoys... naturally, right?  A trip to the park and maybe the zoo.  An afternoon swim and a dinner feast, requested by her, of barbeque'd chicken, mashed potatoes, and asparagus.  Oh, and don't forget the chocolate cake with cool whip, caramel sauce, and a cherry on top.

We can't believe she'll be four!  She's becoming her own little person pushing her limits and developing her own interests and attitude.  I am beginning to realize that there are some things I can no longer control and I'm finding the need to let go and let her embrace her 'Maria-ness'.  I can't even begin to fathom that this girl would start school next year!

I had high hopes and perhaps too high of expectations to finish knitting a dress for her by her birthday.  With all that goes on around here, I found that the only time I could knit (and count stitches) was after they were in bed.  By that time I'm always too tired (from waking up at the buttcrack of dawn) and can only do four rows before I go cross eyed.

However, I am happy to say that it's about 50% finished and I will continue trudging along row by row, stitch by stitch until it's completed.  After all, it WILL be the cutest garment she owns. :)

I'll be back later this week with MORE exciting news.