Another Day huh?

Yes it is another birthday for little ol me. It's been a long year since the last one. Hopefully this year will go a bit smoother. What are the plans for the year 2-7 of Carrie's life? Sew some stuff(don't know what yet), travel a bit(don't know where yet), Get Finnegan into preschool and keep him there, and oh yeah...have another baby!!! (we're due at the end of March for those who haven't heard)

Happy birthday to me!

We Went, We Camped, We Had A Pretty Good Time.

This past weekend the kiddo and I took off with some friends and went on a "No Dads Allowed" camping trip. We headed out Friday morning, got on a ferry to Bainbridge Island and picked out a nice site at Fay Bainbridge State Park on the sound.


Here are the fearless tent putter-uppers hard at work. Watching them made me glad Finn and I were sleeping in the van.


The kids all loved the park, especially the beach and all the driftwood to climb on.



Hot Dogs for dinner. This cooking stuff is very serious business.


I'll admit I think we were all exhausted by the end of the weekend, but I still can't wait to do it again next year.

If a Moose Ate Beavers....

Training Wheels!!!

No more tricycle for this crazy 3 year old! Thanks to C,S,E & P for the bike! Thanks Craigslist for the training wheels!

Summer's Just Flying By...

Well I can't say we haven't kept busy this summer. Weddings, baby showers, birthday parties, and 2 months of sunshine keep this little family on the go.

Finnegan took his first Seattle Monorail ride, surprising since he's been a Seattle kid his whole life.

The Girl Cousins came and spent the night and we all went to SeaFair's Fleet Week.

Finn's buddy Elliott turned 3! Big deal for big boys!

In this strange Seattle heat we're thankful for the random "splash spots" in the city that we can go to to cool down.

Happy Birthday Big Black Dog!

Our Darby is now 5. Getting up there ol' girl!

Spaz Child and Spaz Dog

A Whole Decade?

Can't believe I've known this guy for 10 years. Yowza!

Little Babies!

We made a trip to the feed store as a family yesterday. This is something Finn and I normally do during the week when Brandon's at work, so it was fun that he was here when we were ready to go. We went for a new sack of chicken feed for Scarlett and Nugget, and came home with 2 new little buggers. Shere Kahn, because she looks like a tiger, and Pingu because she looks like a penguin. Finn is more than thrilled to have baby chickens in our kitchen and Darby dog is completely fascinated.

Fun Gone Bad

The following video may be adorable. Father/Son bonding at it's best. Yet, somehow, it ended in all 3 of us soaked to the bone and Brandon holding me down in the last 2 inches of water in the pool while Finnegan continued to pour bucket after bucket of water on my head. Yes. Absolutely adorable.

How Exciting

This is about as exciting as it's gotten since we've been home. Thrilling, isn't it?

Arizona Science Center

While we were in Phoenix (Buckeye really) we did a bit of sight-seeing and saw a sign for a Legos exhibit at the Arizona Science Center. We went. We saw. We built. We looked at all the other really cool stuff they had. I think we both agreed that it's a bit better than the Science Center in Seattle, but maybe it's just a little more "updated".

Quite Possibly the Most Beautiful Place on Earth

Brandon and I are in complete agreement that Zion is absolutely amazing, and Southwestern Utah is one of the most beautiful places we've ever seen. Remember that this opinion is coming from two people who love our Seattle landscape through and through.

Finnegan the Statue

In Helper, UT

Trip Update

Thursday night we left for our 2 week vacation to Phoenix and back. We drove the first night to Hilgard Junction State Park in Oregon. Friday morning we left and drove to Bountiful, UT where we're staying with friends until this afternoon. Then we're off to Moab followed by Monument Valley, the Painted Desert and the Grand Canyon. Here's some photos from our trip so far:

Finnegan Learns Ping Pong

Brandon's birthday gift this last weekend was a slightly used, yet new to us, ping pong table from Craigslist. Finnegan and I have been working on perfecting our "Skillzzzz".

Marsupial Sue... Again.

See that "Sort-of" Smile?

Finn's not afraid of the water like we were starting to think. He just didn't like the pool we were going to. Not that he should, it's just a lap pool in the dark basement of our gym. We heard from one of Brandon's co-workers about a pool she took her kids to that's about 20 minutes north of Seattle. We took the drive and boy was it worth it. It took him a few minutes to realize that it was alright and now he's asking to go back. Which we will... soon.

Finally Conquered Pants

When I was pregnant with Finn, before I knew he was a boy, I thought it would be easier to sustain my sewing habit if I had a girl. Dresses, dolls, you know that sort of thing. I have since learned that I'm having way too much fun sewing for a boy! One thing I've been trying to figure out since he was born, almost 3 years ago, is the perfect pair of pants for the boy. The other day I did it! YAY! They're cozy fleece with cotton print lined pockets. I even added a pocket on the rear. I want some.

Now We've Done It...

Cousins

The "Boy Cousins" came over to spend the night on Saturday. We all had a blast, especially when all the boys decided to attack Brandon on the living room floor. The night was filled with fun, giggles, pizza, knock-knock jokes, movies, fighting over toys, a couple time-outs, and ended with 3 very tired boys passing out and snoring by 9.

When No One's Looking

Finnegan didn't know I was peeking around the corner with the camera. What can I say... the boy enjoys his books. This particular one was a favorite of mine when I was little (still is) and is becoming a fast fave of Finn's as you can see by this video.

Finnegan reading THE STORY OF FERDINAND:

Success!

One completed charm quilt, courtesy of the SCRAPDOWN swap. I finished last night just in time to cuddle with it on the couch to watch The Office,

and then for some shmoe to fall asleep with it directly after.

Everybody Eats.....

Everyone that is, but Finn. Here's a curious conversation with Daddy the other night. A regular routine of dinner avoidance.

But He Was Such A Happy Baby...

This is something I've been telling myself over and over again lately as Finn has reached another "Phase" in his childhood. He's almost three. I'm blaming everything on the fact that he's almost 3.

Our happy baby has turned. He's turned into a tantrum throwing, screaming, kicking back-talking, "almost-three-year-old". I keep telling myself it's just a phase and he'll get over it and figure out how to talk through it instead of the alternative that he's chosen. I just hope it happens soon. Any advice on how to deal? Help!

What's Going On?

Yes... I have been distracted from the blog lately. So here's a short update and I promise I'll get the camera back out and get back to it this week.

Brandon:
Busy with work. The crew is on it's way to Georgia to build a bridge and he's working on the final design stages of a bridge to be built right here in Seattle. This local bridge has been kind of a headache to deal with, but he's getting through it.
Got his truck running. Brandon owns a 1965 Chevy pick-up. His first true love. It's been sitting in our rental house's garage over in Kitsap for the past few years. He went over this weekend, changed the carburetor, jumped the battery and started it up. He drove it over here so that he can have an at home hobby fixing it up... something other than bridges bridges bridges.

Finnegan:
Has a cold. A really crummy, hack it up, snot-rocket, can't sleep, fevery cold. Grumpy boy... very VERY grumpy boy.

Me: Recovering from the past couple months nicely. The follow-up with the surgeon confirmed that there were actual Gall-stones in my gall bladder, so luckily they took out the correct organ and I shouldn't have to worry about it anymore.
4 or 5 more quilt projects. I can't work on just one at a time. It just doesn't work that way for me. If I have a circle of projects, I can keep rotating and will continue to be excited about each one. Pictures soon.

Other items of possible blog worthiness that I will most likely elaborate more about later:
-Both the car and the van are broken. I don't know what's broken, Brandon might, but either way they're not drivable. Seattle Metro here we come!
-I've joined a crafting group that meets up every Monday night. Fun ladies, fun, fun, fun.
-We're starting the beginning planning stages for our BIG road trip to Arizona in May.
-Brandon's started swimming at the gym pool in the mornings before work. Good for him, but it wakes Finn up earlier than normal which is not quite AS good for me. yawn.

I hope this suffices for now. More to come sooner than later.

Bye Bye!

Gall Bladder surgery in the morn. I'll be back in a few days folks! Can't wait to get back to normal and get working on things. Wish this ol' girl some good luck!

Carrie

The Swap has Begun!

YAY! THANK YOU AUDREY! I received the first set of 10 squares today from the ScrapDown Swap! So exciting and each piece is so pretty... I can't wait to add them to my quilt and to see what everyone else sends!

Introducing to the World:

Our new chicken and Nugget's new companion. She's feisty and beautiful and her name is Scarlett. She's adjusted quite amazingly and didn't hesitate to start laying gorgeous dark brown eggs in her new coop. We think she's a cross between a Rode Island Red and a black Marans since she and her eggs are darker than a regular RRR. Nugget seems to be doing better already with the company... her comb is getting redder and soon (hopefully) she'll start laying again.
Here are the girls enjoying leftovers from last night's dinner.

What Happens After a VERY Grumpy Morning?

Turn your sound up.

This is How They Do It:

Wonderful video taken by the crew and edited by Gabe from Sahale. This is the bridge in Needleton, Colorado that Brandon went to work on way back when...

Avacado Cupcakes?

Yep. I've succumbed to hiding veggies in junk food. Went to the library the other day, checked out the 2 cookbooks they had about tricking your kids into eating healthier and started at work in the kitchen that afternoon. I started with Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious Chocolate Cupcakes.


I hadn't been to the store in about a week, so our produce selection was pretty limited, and since I don't have a food processor and since avacados mush up easy and I DO have a husband that eats anything chocolate I tried the recipe. They turned out pretty good. Kinda rich and REALLY dense, but a chocolate cupcake all the same. Finn devoured it without any frosting so I'm pretty anxious to try the other recipes as well.

But I Just Can't Help Myself!!!

I have gone absolutely "Craft Crazy" since I closed my shop. Seriously... I haven't stopped cutting and sewing and crocheting and "knitting" (if that's what you want to call it... I'm no good) and painting. Brandon even questioned me the other night when he caught me cutting a pattern for ANOTHER project. Can't wait to show you when I'm done!

Today I finished another project I saw on SPOOL. Have you seen this site? It's Sewing Heaven in Philadelphia and I just found their blog the other day. Check it out for a few AMAZING tutorials and a lot of fabric envy. Below is my version of this table runner. I decided to add a bit of "flare" and hand-embroidered "YUMMY." on one side. I think it adds a little something to our dreary looking table!

Finnegan's Newest Talent!

Peddling! He's a natural born tricycle rider... and for a kid who's normally not a "Thrill seeker" this is pretty gosh darn amazing. I'm really amazed at how excited Brandon and I are for him, that he can finally reach the pedals! ...and of course even more amazed that we were able to find a helmet to fit that awkwardly large head. I'll post a video soon.




***Notice Brandon's homemade cardboard basket on the back of the trike. Finn's favorite thing to do now is fill it with all the matchbox cars he owns and ride around the house***

What the Heck? PART 2

So what else has happened in the last month? Well...

2 visits to the ER
1 visit and numerous emails to and from the Doc
1 visit to Urgent Care
1 very thorough Ultrasound
3 X-rays
4 blood draws
12 pounds lost (I need new pants)
A whole load of questions
and 1 scheduled surgery to take my gall bladder out on the Jan 27th.

oh yeah and 1 case of pink eye (so far...poor Finn)

AND... 1 stressful bridge deadline for a new bridge in Seattle.(poor Brandon)

What is a Gall Bladder you ask? For me it's a painful and irritating annoyance that keeps causing me to have sudden attacks of gut-wrenching pain. I think this is the first time I've been able to use the term "gut-wrenching" literally. In reality the Gall bladder is basically a reserve tank for the bile that flows from the liver to the stomach. The one way in and out of my gall bladder is getting "clogged" by a gravely-sludge that's in there(the start of possible gall stones) and that's causing the horrible attacks I've been having. So hopefully all will be fixed by this surgery. THAT is what has been going on this month.

Fabric Love!

My buddy Katy who recently moved from Seattle to Luxembourg seriously has a super wonderful crafty blog. The best ideas! The most recent is "Scrapdown 2009".

The first project is a charm quilt. I've had my eye on a couple versions of Charm quilts and didn't think I'd ever have enough fabric to make one. A charm quilt is one where you use each fabric only once. Since there are a bunch of people involved and we're all swapping squares to use, I think I'll finally have enough. And since I'm impatient and I really can't wait for anything, I've already started mine. It's not the same pattern that Katy is using for her tutorial, but it's a pattern I really wanted to use! Here's the beginning of my "Scrapdown" Charm quilt:

I'm so excited to be involved as I've been yearning to join some sort of quilting/crafting club for a while now. I know that this isn't really the same thing... but it's still a community to be a part of. If you're interested in joining the fun, you can still get on the mailing list to send and receive squares in this swap. Email Katy through her blog before Jan 21st!!!