let's knit// the mini mania scarf

call me crazy, but i love a good challenge. when i randomly came upon this pattern for the Mini Mania Scarf i couldn't resist. and then i ordered my first set of 'minis' from Etsy and now im hooked! theres something just really fun about all these colorful mini hanks and how they knit together into this beautiful piece.

knitting the Mini Mania scarf isnt for the weak of heart. it requires a super long circular needles and up to 600 stitches cast on! i stopped at 500 and after a few slip ups, more realistically have about 488. ha! using the 'linen stitch' (my new favorite) you work the scarf width wise. as in, you cast on the length of your scarf and knit up until it is as wide as you would like.

i can't wait to finish this and wear it! hopefully before its too warm out for scarves. although, this is ohio, so i probably have until july. ;)

//defined

what does it mean to be 'defined' by something? or even someone? right now, im mother. and teacher. and wife. and photographer. and sister and daughter. and friend. and a reader and a knitter. and i suppose some people would call me 'crafty' (i hate that word). but these are roles. and there are so many of them! all equally important and necessary in the make up of me. do they define me? yes of course.

mostly though, right now, i feel that 'defineness' by my role of james' mother. its shaken my world, the world i spent all my life in selfishly worrying only about me and then only about me and tyler. this role of being a mother is serious business and ive been feeling lately like maybe its the only thing that is defining me. its a good thing, in so many ways. i waited much much longer than i ever thought i would have to, to be a mother and the last fifteen months have left me just soaking it up and consuming myself in it. happily so. i have loved every minute of it and it has truly defined me in a way that perhaps my other 'roles' have not. its most definitely made me a better person.

but at the same time, those other parts of me are still so important! and so, as james perfects his new found skill of walking and becomes ever more independent, i find myself with just a little more time to myself. to be a reader again. or a better friend than perhaps i have been the last fifteen months. as he plays independently on the floor, i find myself thinking of tyler and what i could ask him at dinner about his day. or i have just a bit more time to plan my lessons for thursday morning, without feeling rushed. and that little bit of time, to step back from being james' mama for a minute, its good for my soul.

being a new, first time mom is hard, SO hard. and it defines you (for better or worse). i am happy to put that role at the top of my list, forever. but im happy to pay a little more attention to all these other parts of me too. we are always changing and ever growing and i want all of these things to grow and change with me. i think, mostly thats what ive been struggling with, as a new mom. (other than the lack of sleep at the beginning! ;)

“Defined” is the March writing prompt of The Mommy Blogger Collective. In addition to a monthly writing prompt, the collective hosts a monthly blogger featurette. This month we are featuring Gillian of Comes in Colours. A few words from Gillian — Hey, I’m Gillian and I blog at Comes in Colours! I am passionate about motherhood and passionate about photography. I am married to my middle school sweetheart and we are now raising our two boys, Roman and Asher, in northern Colorado. My life is real and far from perfect but my blog is a place where I celebrate motherhood through pictures and words. Connect with Gillian on Instagram, Pinterest, Bloglovin and pop by her blog to say hello.

/// The Mommy Blogger Collective /// Christina, Courteney, Dena, Erica, Erin, Gillian, Katie, Misty, Nicole, and Renée. ///

james at fifteen months

i realized a few days ago that i hadn't taken the time to write down who this kid is right now, right this very second. i did posts month by month until he was a year and then simply assumed i would continue them every once in a while. i can't believe that was five months ago i thought that! yikes. here's to documenting more of his sweet little everyday things more often.

dear james,

after every meal now, you sign 'done' and then promptly puts your cup on top of your plate. i don't know where that came from but it is adorable. ((you also knows 'more', as you are clearly emphasizing in the first photo. "more crackers please!!"))

you are SUPER shy right now. i mean, so so so shy. while we were away last week, you covered your face with your little hands at pretty much everyone and everybody who paid any kind of attention to you. and lets not even start on my siblings respective significant others! goodness. the lip quiver and tears as soon as they smile at you! its really sweet but also makes me wonder what i can do to help you with this.

you LOVE doing 'cheers' with us at dinner time! or any time really! after a celebratory dinner one night, you picked up on it pretty quick and now are always ready to celebrate with your cup.

whenever we ask you if you want something you shakes your head yes and say 'yeah, yeah, yeah'. especially when its for something really good like lunch or a cookie!

the walking!! so much walking. all the time now. just the other day, you stood up from a sitting position successfully for the first time and you could just SEE the pride on your little face. now you walk pretty much everywhere and if there is an elevator in sight, beware! but those little footsteps. if they aren't just the sweetest things to hear around my house.

you love love love reading right now. we have a good selection of board books that we rotate through and currently Goodnight Zoo and Trucks Go are your favorites. its the sweetest thing watching you flip through the pages and smile at the pictures.

in the last month or so, you've really picked up the 'vroom' noise and its so funny watching you get out your basket of cars and 'vroom' them around the room.

we try not to watch too many movies around here but teething and stomach flus the last month or so have made them a bit more prevalent. hotel transylvania (daddy's favorite) has the best music at the end (so does The Lorax) and lately as soon as it starts, you put your arms above your head and start shaking your  booty. it. is. adorable.

sleeping at night happens ALL the time now (halleluuuujah) and youre such a trooper going to bed on your own. i put you in your crib at bed time, give you your beau the wolf to squeeze tight and you promptly turns on your side to fall asleep. most nights anyhow. every once in a while, we have a tear or two. but really. youre so good at it. 

i know you will be so happy once you can talk because right now, when you need help with something or wants something, all you can do is point or take my hand/fingers and guide them where you want them to go. to push a button, to fix something, to get something thats stuck on the bottom of your foot (the worst!!) but its really so sweet to be needed so. 

im just frankly in love with you kid. have i mentioned that? so so so in love. your smiles are the best part of my every day (always!) and youre just SO funny. cracks me up with your goofiness and desire to play peekaboo all the time. im a lucky mama. 

xoxo

let's eat// chocolate chocolate cookies

way back last week, before we all suffered a nasty case of the stomach flu around here, i made these cookies. it was one of those days where i woke up and already wished i was going back to bed and the only fix for that kind of day is chocolate, am i right?

i found the recipe here, Outrageous Chocolate Cookies, and ill be honest, i didnt spend that much time looking around for one. it was quite literally the first recipe that popped up. i just wanted some cookies man! and im not a baker, so i really think that is saying a lot.

anyways. loved these and loved how large they got and howshiny they were on top too. the batter ends up being really thin (like brownie batter) which i assumed meant i had done something wrong, but alas. thats how it is supposed to look.

so hurrah for yummy easy chocolatey chocolate cookies. they were a total lifesaver!

xoxo, R.

today.

//we are recovering from a stomach flu yesterday that knocked little James right off his feet. poor kid. nothing hurts worse than trying to explain to your baby why they have to throw up. and nothing hurts worse than explaining to myself that vomit WILL come out of the velvet pillow. it WILL. 

//the last two weeks have been a bit brutal in all aspects and im feeling not quite like myself. im blaming february, now that its over. thank goodness. i tore off the 'february' page of my stendig calendar with a whoooosh and a big sigh of relief. spring, you are so close! 

//we just got back from quick trip to indianapolis with tyler's parents for work related things. it was fun and involved copious amounts of eating out. my favorite. now we're home and im like "where's the menu? who's making dinner?" and then silence.  

//ive been craving the sound of music since its started popping up on our pandora. just turned it on in time for james to wake up from his nap. typical but great because now i have a singing partner! ;) 

//taxes. i mean, just shoot me now. 

//there is pot roast cooking in the slow cooker and i had chocolate for breakfast. 

//i downloaded a self timer app on my phone. how much fun is that? a lot. poor james and tyler, family photos will never be the same. ever.

//that song, about yelling timber? yeah, im the one singing out loud to that shamelessly in the car. of course, that means i have to have a car, which i do not, still. UGH. car problems are the most annoying. 

//happy saturday and happy its tyler's week of vacation week! a whole week home with us and i just cant even. i am just. just so excited. SO EXCITED. i see date nights in our future. i do! they are happening. 

xoxo

montessori at home// the treasure basket

i think i've mentioned this before, but for six years i worked at a montessori school while i was getting my degree in education and after i graduated as well. i loved the environment and i knew as soon as i had children, montessori would be at the heart of how we raised them. its so easy to make an environment at home that is purposeful for your child! i also saw immediately how beneficial a lot of maria montessori's theories about education were, especially when implemented at an early age and i had so much fun when james was born introducing him to different mobiles, rattles and the like. 

now, at fifteen months, james is at a totally different level of exploration. which means its time for the treasure box to change. originally, i had put out on his shelf a small basket with a bowl, wooden spoon and a small cloth for him to explore. i cannot tell you how much he loved that basket. 

james' first treasure basket at five months

a 'treasure' basket can contain anywhere from five to twenty items, all safe but not necessarily things your little one would find in his toy box. they are meant to be changed periodically to stimulate interest and are used in such a way that initiates conversation and thought: "what color is this?" "how does it feel" "can i put it inside something else?" "what does it taste like?" and other questions of that nature. through this type of interaction, you are introducing colors, textures, etc. as well as promoting exploration and manipulation in a safe way! 

lately, sorting and pouring and mimicking what i do in the kitchen while cooking dinner really captivates james so i put together a treasure basket that includes all of those things, in a safe way. i love watching him concentrate with his lips pursed as he transfers the pompoms and mixes them with the whisk, then pretend pours soap from the bottle on them. 

i can't wait to rotate new treasure baskets onto his shelves as the seasons change too! there are so many possibilities! 

that little red sled

ive been waiting all winter to take james outside to explore the snow. i love a good snowfall and five minute snowball fight or sled down a hill! (five minutes because frankly, i hate being cold).  unfortunately, its been WAY too cold to do any of that yet, especially with james. two weekends ago, we had the chance for a good ten minutes to play outside because the wind had stopped and it was somewhat warmish (think twenty degrees) so i called my dad on the way to my parents house and asked if he could get that little red sled ready, because there was a little kid who wanted to ride it. (james didn't know he wanted to ride it...yet...obviously).

but i love that little red sled! so many good memories of playing on it, going down the hill in my parents backyard in my pink snowsuit. i hated that hot pink snowsuit in the best way.

we bundled james up in his own little snowsuit (from goodwill! best find!) and his puffy super cold weather coat and my little red boots from when i was two and gosh. he was just the biggest little marshmallow of baby cuteness.

the snow was super deep and there are scary holes hidden my parents yard, yikes, but we made him a little track and my brother was an excellent sport out there too, pulling him while i made sure he didn't slide off the back because how do you tell a fifteen month old to hold on? you can't. especially when he can't move his arms. ;

baby kisses! and snowflakes! on baby cheeks!

my parents seriously have the best back yard for this kind of thing. it was like a winter wonderland out there! we went in after about ten minutes and we delayered and i felt like that was a whole lotta work for a short time but it was worth it. totally worth it and the best memories and that little red sled... thank you. 

xoxo, r. 

some days man.

some days man. and then some days there are just too many in a row and it becomes one of "those" weeks. where its wednesday but it feels like its been wednesday for days and maybe if you just hit your head against the wall or scream into a pillow one more time, wednesday will be over. 

thats a bit dramatic, i know. 

but honestly. i woke up this morning to a bag of cat food knocked over and dry cat food everywhere. all over my kitchen floor. and i have a crawler/walker with little grabby hands living here. and then five minutes later i got one of those super great text messages from my husband stating that he "has a meeting from 6-8 tonight that he totally forgot to tell me about!" and "it'll be just you and james all night!" well. isn't that just lovely. 

sigh. not to mention thirty five million other things that have happened this week that make me want to ugly cry and go through the donut drive thru, but alas. my car is expensive broken and i am stuck here. 

wallow wallow. i know. 

regardless! tomorrow is thursday almost friday almost saturday, hey. and its bound to get better eventually. until then, ill leave you with this picture. i pressed my valentines rose petals this morning because gosh darn they are already dying. they must be having one of those weeks too. 

xoxo, r. 

that one time it took me sixteen months to knit a blanket

i started this blanket for my baby boy when i was seven or eight months pregnant (i can't remember, those final days just blur). i remember sitting in jo ann fabrics with my mom and seven balls of colored yarn on my lap, trying to decide. i couldn't because, frankly, i couldnt picture the baby that was going to be sleeping in the blanket. but i thought, colorful colors be darned, itll be a blanket regardless.

i loved the pattern for this blanket too, from Purl Soho. its called The Super Easy Baby Blanket (click for the link) and i thought, well it couldn't be any easier than that! especially considering the entire blanket is garter stitch too. easy peasy.

sixteen months later, its finally finished. not that it wasn't easy. it was SO easy. but also something to easily toss to the side when i had a book to read or other projects to knit. and then halfway through, when i realized after a sleepless night of nursing that i had chosen the wrong weight of yarn for the middle green color and it was all lumpy and weird after i finished....well. me and blanket needed to take a break. in retrospect, i probably should have ripped it out and started that block of color over, but again. sleep deprivation at its finest.

i would totally knit this blanket again though, maybe one for each of my babies should i be so lucky. but i would definitely pick different colors (maybe hues of the same color or something similar). and i would make sure all of my yarn matched from the start. rookie mistake.

i should also add that my cheerleaders (that would be tyler and my mom) who watched me lug this blanket around while i was working on it, always had the nicest words of encouragement. even when i really really really hated it.

xoxo.
R.

hearts and valentines, oh my

not gonna lie, i shamelessly love valentines day. like the whole day and the whole week of it. its so cheesy and fun and even if you don't have a significant other im pretty sure you have someone to love and thats all that matters! even my doggies and cat get in on the valentines love!! but its really kind of funny, because valentines day and i don't have a very good track record. in just the ten years of valentines days with tyler, i think i have been sick for half of them, really really sick for two, we've gotten in a huge awful fight for one of them and then there was one that was just depressing all around. and then we had james and i feel like maybe valentines day and i can be friends. like turn over a new leaf and forget about the past friends. even though, if im being honest, this year i got a bloody lip (thank you james) and locked my keys in my car at target (where else right?) but even then! still, really loved valentines day this year. it kinda felt like my birthday, if we're being totally honest. (and we all know how much i love my birthday).

 james and i woke up friday morning to balloons and streamers (we pretended they were for james, but we all know they were for me) and the prettiest 'painter' roses from daddy. i mean, it was just really super sweet, he woke up early to do all of that for us! 

i stacked james' little gifts in our teepee fort (because i mean, where else would they go?) and we ate breakfast. by which i mean i put pink sprinkles on everything and made belgian waffles. any excuse for sprinkles man!! 

we decorated these the night before for all our lovins. and seriously, it was a whole heck of a lot trickier than i thought. i don't know why i thought it would be easy. but it was not easy. 

found the cutest little mailbox (target dollar bins, huzzah!) as well as valentines day pompoms (james' favorite thing to play with right now) and put those together for him. i also found him the sweetest little book and gave him his twig creative camera i had originally bought for him for christmas until i realized we had super duper spoiled him. so we spoiled him on valentines day instead. ;) 

 i made sparkle hearts headbands for myself and wore them (at home only, because ya know. public places may not get it) and then james and i played for most of the morning. we had lunch with my momma and ran in to my sister and her new boyfriend on their way to a valentines zoo date (the cutest!). this was all after i got a bloody lip, so super classy that lunch was. eep!

 then we (james and i) met my friend and her baby bump for coffee and promptly locked my keys in the car while explaining to her how i almost (but not quite) killed her valentines gift. (plants. i tell ya.)

 tyler came to rescue us, i tried to hide the bag of shirts i had just bought while also trying to draw attention away from the fact that yes, i was at target again. then we had a lovely dinner just the three of us (!!!) and a bookstore date where we ran into my parents and james decided he wanted to walk only. no stroller for him! and did some serious train table playing. 

also, i bought two books. 

so basically, valentines day was like my birthday. which means i kinda get two birthdays this year? i don't know. but i felt SO loved and happy all day (bloody lip and all!) and told tyler i almost feel guilty, it was SUCH a good day. but i guess it kind of makes up for all the really stinky things valentines day has done in the past? maybe. 

regardless. 

it was a good one. 

happy monday! 

xoxo, R.