The Family McG

Another Day huh?

2009-08-27T08:17:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-08-26T10:06:00.000-07:00

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....

2009-08-06T12:36:00.000-07:00

Training Wheels!!!

2009-08-03T13:03:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-08-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-07-21T08:34:00.000-07:00

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

Spaz Child and Spaz Dog

2009-07-10T14:58:00.000-07:00

A Whole Decade?

2009-06-26T08:45:00.000-07:00

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

Little Babies!

2009-06-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-31T12:04:00.001-07:00

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

Arizona Science Center

2009-05-30T20:35:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-30T17:43:00.001-07:00

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

2009-05-24T23:51:00.000-07:00

In Helper, UT

Trip Update

2009-05-17T09:59:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-21T18:43:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-04-17T11:12:00.001-07:00

See that "Sort-of" Smile?

2009-03-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-27T09:44:00.001-07:00

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...

2009-03-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

Cousins

2009-03-10T08:18:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-02T07:47:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-02-27T08:44:00.000-08:00

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.....

2009-02-25T23:14:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-02-25T08:09:00.000-08:00

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?

2009-02-16T19:56:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-01-26T22:43:00.001-08:00

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!

2009-01-23T13:37:00.000-08:00

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:

2009-01-23T12:47:00.000-08:00

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?

2009-01-21T14:53:00.000-08:00

Turn your sound up.

This is How They Do It:

2009-01-21T11:53:00.000-08:00

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?

2009-01-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2009-01-19T16:22:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-01-18T21:22:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-16T13:00:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-01-16T10:12:00.001-08:00

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!!!

Finally Introduced the Play-doh.

2009-01-15T20:38:00.000-08:00

What the Heck? PART ONE

2009-01-15T20:17:00.000-08:00

Yes. I haven't blogged in a really long time. Not that I haven't wanted to... basically I've been avoiding confessing to all the happenings of the past month or so. SO... if you're ready, here's an update:

A few days before Christmas, I had a miscarriage. No more baby this time around, but we've come to terms with it and I think we're all ok. Not sure if we're going to try again right away, but I'll let you all know. Moving on...

Christmas! It was really great to be around ALL of our family for the holiday, even if it did mean spending some time in the car throughout the day. We spent Christmas Eve at my moms and Finn got to hang with his cousin Eddie and his cousin Eddie's new Karaoke Machine (which I think ended up being more exciting than hangin with Eddie)

Christmas morning we spent with Brandon's cousin Cory, who was visiting from Illinois and unexpectedly got to stay with us for the holiday. Finn got to know him during his stay, but still refuses to call him anything but "Daddy's cousin Cory".

Then it was off to Olalla to the McFamily Christmas. All 5 cousins between 2 and 4 got a little crazy... but it seems that we're all gaining a bit more control each year as parents. Hopefully we'll have everything completely under control by the time they have kids of their own.
(Pictures of Handmade gifts as soon as I can find out if my inlaws took any)

Next to last stop: My Aunt's house in Seattle. Here we got to see my Dad and Grandma and experience my Aunt's wonderful cooking once again. We also got to see some "Some-what cousins" we haven't seen in a while.

Then home and bed. It was a good day. More info to follow soon.

Baby Baby Baby...

2008-12-18T20:50:00.001-08:00

I feel like I haven't talked much about the pregnancy... There's not really much to say, yet. But I am getting into the swing of things and revived another abandoned project. I'm currently trying to finish (I have until July) this baby quilt:

It's been so fun to find all these old projects and actually have time to work on them. Especially since we've had a couple snow days!

Keeping the Heat In.

2008-12-16T20:35:00.000-08:00

Brandon suggested curtains to keep the heat in. I suggested he cough up some cash so we could go shopping. Brandon suggested we go to the Goodwill, find some sheets and I get working on my sewing machine. Hey... I'm not one to argue. Here are Finn's curtains. Made from an embroidered duvet cover ($3.99) and part of a striped flat sheet ($2.99). Not bad for a couple days work. I'll post the curtains for our room once I get them done. Which, as of right now, may have to wait until after Christmas gift sewing is done.

Finger Painting!

2008-12-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

Yep. More ornaments. Only these are Christmas gifts, so I'll show you the end result after the holiday! Sorry!

Snow Ball Fight!

2008-12-15T08:50:00.000-08:00

Ok, not the most enthusiastic display of snow-ball violence, but he got the hang of it, and tried his best. We went out RIGHT after breakfast and enjoyed the snow with our friends Skye and Conor.

Luckily Brandon and Finn got outside BEFORE the snow and put the snow tires on the car. This is what Brandon's been waiting for. A kiddo that can help him with boy stuff.

From the Depths of the Hall Closet...

2008-12-14T17:00:00.000-08:00

Come old projects that I've decided to try and finish. Here's the first, which we may be needing sooner than later with snow in the forecast. I started this quilt for our bed about a year or more ago and haven't had the chance to really get some serious work done on it. I decided with the huge off white expanse, I'd hand quilt it together with colored floss. It looks pretty good so far. I'll definitely update as things progress. Luckily we only have a full sized bed.

Seattle Snow!

2008-12-13T23:50:00.000-08:00

I'm always amazed when it snows IN Seattle. Why? Well...

1. It always seems to snow around Seattle. Not actually in the city.
2. When it does snow it happens at night. Which means it is almost always gone by morning and Finn misses it entirely.

However, we have a couple inches, and it's still coming down. So hopefully Finn will be able to get out there in the morning and quickly request to come back inside!

Cookies!

2008-12-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

Yep. We made Christmas cookies in our pajamas. That's really the best way to do it, isn't it?

More Ornament Making

2008-12-12T13:45:00.000-08:00

I've realized in getting a Christmas tree, that we'd probably need some ornaments for it. So our house has been a little ornament factory the past week. Finn and I made about 6 or 7 felt wreaths the other day, but on a 7 foot tree they don't take up much space. So I got on the google machine and looked for some ideas and found this Salt Dough Recipe. Pretty simple, and a fun painting activity for the kiddo (and the Mom and Dad!). Here's what we came up with:

Christmas Tree "Shopping"

2008-12-12T09:52:00.000-08:00

There was a lot of controversy this year over our Christmas tree. Live tree (which we've done the past couple years so we can plant them when the holiday is over), No tree at all, Re-using our tree from last year that still hasn't been planted. The discussions and disagreements ended with my pregnancy neurosis taking over and demanding a cut tree. So we went to the tree lot, and then another and found our tree.

"Shopping"...HA!!! I was actually looking for a tree... Finn and Brandon were looking for the best ways to run through them. It was more like a fun maze for the boys than a search for the perfect tree. But it was a good time!

Going a Little Holiday Craft Crazy

2008-12-10T12:16:00.000-08:00

I saw a photo from a magazine of some little felt square wreaths on Belladia, and decided that Finn and I could make some (or something similar) as holiday decorations. Which, I've realized, are sorely lacking in our house. Well... truthfully, I made them, Finnegan took them apart. But it was still fun to spend some crafty time together. So Here's a little tutorial so you can make your own.

Materials:

Pipe cleaners
A Bunch of random colors of craft felt
Scissors
A smaller than usual hole punch
Ribbon if you like it

1. Pick out a bunch of different colors of craft felt. You can also use felted sweaters like the one on Belladia, or fancy expensive wool felt, or probably any other type of fabric you like... you'll just get a different, and probably just as fun result.

2. Cut a bunch of every color into a bunch of little squares (mine were approx. 1/2 - 3/4 inch square.

3. I have a really small hole punch that I used, but I'm sure you can use a needle or some other way to punch holes in each of the squares.

4. Start threading the pipecleaner through the holes of all the little squares of felt. Squish them on there snug!

5. Keep going until the wreath is the size you prefer. It takes a LOT of little squares!

6. Twist the ends together and clip the extra pipecleaner off. Add ribbon if you like. Make a ton and decorate your whole house. I'm planning on putting them on my tree.... when we get our tree.

What Now?

2008-12-09T19:53:00.000-08:00

Well, first off, a little catch up with everything that's gone on in the past month.

Brandon returned from his trip to Colorado and took a BUNCH of pics. Here's one of the bridge (in progress) and my fave of B.

We went up to Snoqualmie Pass with the Mc-Inlaws and Mc-Cousins and The Family Scott for a fun filled weekend of playing in the rain and sharing a 400 square foot studio between 11 people. Crowded? Yes. But fun all the same. Here's the kids warming up and calming down after a walk:

Thanksgiving was great. We got a chance to see everyone in the family within the 4 day weekend and were welcomed to everyone's home with wonderful fooooood! A few days before however, we all headed to see my nephew Eddie's elementary school holiday performance. We even got a shot of the whole family after...(which doesn't happen often enough)

And here's a preview of what I'm working on now that I'm not making hats (whew.) Stay tuned for more details!

One Last HAT Hurrah...

2008-12-04T14:10:00.000-08:00

Before I completely give up, I've gotta get rid of the rest of my hat stock. Come check out Urban Craft Uprising this weekend if you're in Seattle. Click on the poster for more info...

I've Done it Now...

2008-12-02T09:29:00.000-08:00

This morning I officially closed my Etsy shop. After a long evaluation over the past few months, I've decided it's for the best. My priorities had changed in a way I really didn't like... customers came first when I knew that Finnegan and the Belly McG needed to be in that place. Rushing around trying to get orders completed when we could have been at the zoo. Heading to the post office, when we could have been coloring. Answering emails instead of going to the park. There's too much unnecessary worry that comes along with running a happenin' hat biz on the internet, and right now the extra weight is something I really don't need in my life.

Now I have time to create and sew things for all the kiddos in our life.

I may reopen someday. But for today and tomorrow, it's Finn and Me, Me and Finn and a bunch of fun times ahead.

Hand Turkey

2008-11-14T22:31:00.001-08:00

Finnegan's first "Hand Turkey". He traced mom's hand, and then chose colors and drew eyes, beak, feet, and even some food for the turkey to eat. What a nice boy.

Imagine.

2008-11-13T13:34:00.000-08:00

Finnegan is amazing. His imagination has really blossomed lately and it's been hilarious to witness. Here's a few examples:

1. Last night I was making dinner and Finn was watching. I told him that I should go get a jacket because I was cold. He replied, "I make you a fire Mommy!" He got down from the chair he was standing on and proceeded to collect imaginary firewood from all over the house and then piled it together and started a "fire" for me on the kitchen floor. I just stood there in amazement. What amazed me even more was how gentle he was putting imaginary bandaids on my leg when I stepped through the fire on my way to the other room.

2.Last night again... We went through Finn's normal bedtime routine: Pajamas, brushing teeth, washing face and hands, saying goodnight to Darby, picking a story and hopping into bed. When he said goodnight to Darby, he asked, "What about Daddy?". This was the first time he's mentioned saying goodnight to Brandon, since he's been gone, so I rolled with it. I told Finn to yell "GOODNIGHT DADDY!!!" as loud as he could and maybe then he would hear it in Colorado and yell back. Finn yelled as loud as he could but we didn't get a response. I told him Daddy was probably already in bed and we'd try again in the morning. This morning I woke up to Finn yelling, "GOOD MORNING DADDY!!!! I'M AWAKE!!!!!" I didn't realize what he was doing, so I went in his room to ask him and he said he was "Yelling at Colorado".

3. Monsters. Lots of stuff about Monsters. But I'll save this for another post soon.

Cute kid.

Ugh...

2008-11-12T04:02:00.000-08:00

Why on earth am I awake at 4 am, you ask? Darby dog woke me, and when I tried to tell her to go back to sleep and then tried to roll over and go back to sleep myself, Nugget (our surviving chicken) called out and woke me even more. I jumped out of bed in panic mode. Not only panicking at the idea that something is after our only surviving chicken, but panicking that I'm going to have to deal with the mess left behind and the culprits who have done the dirty work. Brandon loves this kinda crap and he's in Colorado until Sunday. Where's the flashlight? Brandon didn't use a flashlight... wait! Where's his headlamp thingy that he used when this happened last time? Am I wearing shoes? Where the heck are my shoes? Why does this have to be happening during a storm? Do Raccoons even hunt during storms? The answer to that last one.... NO. BIG FAT NO.

Our stupid little hen, Nugget, didn't get up onto her perch last night and is sleeping on the ground in the least protected corner of the chicken coop. There is a storm, she's getting wet, and she's letting me (and Darby, who's still freaking out that there's a big hairy animal outside for her to chase and bark at) know that she doesn't like the wind and rain. Ugh. BIG FAT UGH.

Catch Up

2008-11-09T19:49:00.001-08:00

I don't have my camera this week, so I thought this would be a good chance for me to actually write something in my blog. Believe it or not, I did used to write here. Go ahead and look back at the beginning if you don't believe me. Anyway...

Lots going on.

For those of you who haven't heard, Finnegan is going to be a big brother. We just found out a few weeks ago, so it's still a bit new and hasn't really sunk in yet. Besides the fact that I'm completely nauseas and tired all the time and that I now refuse to drink caffeine, nothings really that different... yet.

Brandon is in Colorado (with my camera) working on a bridge project. He left Wednesday and won't be home until next Sunday. I got a surprise phone call from him via the satellite phone this evening. It only lasted a few minutes, but it was a nice surprise since I didn't think we'd be able to contact each other at all.
He reported that it's cold and it's supposed to snow again tonight. It's beautiful where they are, but that's about all I got from him. I'll post pictures as soon as he gets back.

Everything else right now seems to be fleece concentrated. I have 2 shows in the next week and a half that I'm stocking up for and of course I'm also working on getting prepared for Urban Craft Uprising. Only a few weeks away! Better get sewing.... again.

Finn EATS GRANDMA!!!!!

2008-11-05T21:08:00.000-08:00

Finnegan and Stella... Quite a Pair!

2008-11-04T10:37:00.000-08:00

Trick or Treat!

2008-11-03T16:21:00.000-08:00

Finnegan REALLY got into it this year. It was a ton of fun just watching him interact with our Halloween-loving neighbors and telling us which homes decorations were too scary for him to deal with! Here's our little Red, Fire-breathing Dragon in action:

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T09:28:00.000-07:00

LEEEEEAVES!!!!!

2008-10-30T17:12:00.000-07:00

Yup... Our Family is Growing!

2008-10-26T11:58:00.000-07:00

Don't be concerned. Brandon isn't actually pregnant! Just me.

Finnegan Loves Robyn...

2008-10-25T12:11:00.001-07:00

Bad News.... a week later.

2008-10-24T08:43:00.000-07:00

Just So We're All Clear:

2008-10-19T17:02:00.000-07:00

Thank God for Humor!

2008-10-17T09:38:00.001-07:00

All But Consumed....

2008-10-07T16:16:00.000-07:00

We're all so busy!!!

Finnegan is busy being 2. He's singing, running, jumping, learning to take his clothes off, learning to brush his teeth by himself, and REFUSING to learn how to use a toilet for what it's good for.

Brandon is busy with work and studying. Studying for a HUGE, ENORMOUS, EXCITING, and NERVE-WRECKING Exam. His Professional Engineering Exam. Yep. He takes this 8 hour test on Oct. 24th (that's only 17 days away, and he has something like 60 books to read), and then we party hard the next day and wait 12 weeks to find out the results.

I am busy. That's it. Just plain busy. Busy being mom and wife, and when I find a moment in between, I'm busy making hats. Lots and LOTS of hats. This is the beginning of a cRaZy hat season, and business is booming. Also very exciting news: I got accepted to show up and sell my hats at URBAN CRAFT UPRISING the first weekend in December. This means I have to make MORE and MORE and MORE hats. But who's complaining, right? Not me!!!

Oh yeah... Brandon and I celebrated our anniversary this last week. Finn spent the night at his cousins' house and we got ourselves a fancy hotel room and got our debate on. That's right. We bought a bunch of junk food and watched the VP debate on tv without distraction...besides playing a few Sarah Palin drinking games! Happy anniversary honey.

So there's an update. I'll try and get my camera out this week and actually take some visuals of what we've been up to. But until then... wait. Just wait.

Singing During Dinner

2008-09-22T22:49:00.000-07:00

I'm not trying to make this into a video blog again, but it's hat season people! At least I'm giving you something, right?

Shameless plug...

2008-09-21T21:20:00.001-07:00

Everyone's been asking, "How's the Hat biz goin?". IT'S GOOD!!! I've got a bunch of new ideas and things are starting to get busy for the season. Poor Finn will surely be in therapy one day for all of these silly hats I put him in. Click on this pic of my new kitty to see the new look and new link for my ETSY shop:

Muffin Tin Monday

2008-09-21T21:15:00.000-07:00

This week's Muffin Tin:
Cheese sticks, pb&J, cheerios, chicken nuggets, yogurt, and Ritz. I know I said things would become more exciting, but I have to tell you... there wasn't a single thing left in this tin when Finn got done with it. The boy who doesn't eat, ate.

Duck... Duck....Duck....

2008-09-21T13:33:00.001-07:00

"I love to play with Darby and Robyn....!!!!!"

2008-09-19T18:01:00.001-07:00

Scootin' and Drivin'

2008-09-19T10:38:00.000-07:00

...and the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang obsession continues....

Finnegan's Little White Shadow

2008-09-14T22:16:00.000-07:00

My Mom and her husband, Barry, are in the UK right now. Mom said she didn't get to do all the tourist-y type things when she was there last time, so that's what they're doing now. Their dog, Robyn, gets to stay with us for a fun 2 weeks, and she LOOOOOOOOOVES Finn. Finn thinks she's pretty great too. Here's a video of the typical Robyn and Finnegan relationship:

YAY Nugget!

2008-09-09T09:13:00.001-07:00

Our sweet little chickens are finally BOTH doing their work. Mary Poppins has been giving us 4-5 eggs a week since her 2nd week here, and now, Nugget has finally gotten the picture. Her comb and waddles have turned bright red, and I've caught her a few times, laying in the nesting box she's skillfully avoided this whole time. Today I pulled 2 eggs instead of one. So unless Mary Poppins is doing double duty, Nugget can now carry the status of "Hen".

Good girl Nugget.

An Exciting "See Ya."

2008-09-08T10:37:00.000-07:00

Brandon headed to Camp Muir on Mt. Rainier last week, and since they were taking the helicopter up the mountain, I asked if Finn and I could tag along and check it out. It was a beautiful day for a drive through the middle of nowhere, and the mountain looked extra spectacular up close. While the crew was figuring out logistics, Finn got the chance to sit in the helicopter. How excited was he, you ask? There were no words. For once, Finn was speechless.

Here he's impersonating the helicopter's propeller...spinning and spinning, round and round.

Needless to say he collapsed from all the excitement and slept most of the way home.

Busy Busy Busy....

2008-09-08T09:25:00.000-07:00

I found out on my birthday, that I would be "representin'" Etsy at Bumbershoot. I was thrilled to meet some people from Etsy Admin, and to just spread the word. The problem and excitement came when Christina from Etsy wrote me to let me know I'd be working the booth on Saturday and I needed to fill up half a table with my hats. Poop! I didn't realize that I would have the chance to sell anything, and I don't carry a lot of inventory. Actually, I didn't have ANY inventory. So that gave me 3 days to get my stuff together and get sewing. Luckily, Finnegan already had a date to go spend the night at Grandma's house with ALL of his "Mc"-cousins the next day and Brandon picked him up when the fun was over, so I had the opportunity to sew, sew, sew, right up until Saturday morning when Marlo picked me up for our day at the festival. Here's a shot (taken by Marlo) of our amazingly cute booth....

I was amazed at how many adults were interested in getting themselves into a silly hat, and people were trying them on all day. I ended selling quite a few and I even gave a couple of them away (to people you wouldn't really want them back from after they tried them on.) Finn and Brandon came to show some support and explore the festival, and Finn, our little hat celebrity made his appearance and even signed an autograph for an adoring (and a little drunk) fan.

I'll update you to the rest of the week later on. Gotta get on with my day.
Thanks for the pictures Marlo.... hope you don't mind that I used them.

Today, I'm a Day Older.

2008-08-26T22:07:00.000-07:00

Yep... this is me almost 26 years ago. Time flies, huh Dad?

dum de dum dum dum de. dum de dum dum dum de. dum de dum dum dum de de. dum de dum dum dum deeeeeeeeeeeee.... and many more!

Muffin Monday

2008-08-25T08:39:00.000-07:00

I've realized that these have been getting kind of boring, so watch out for next week! ... Maybe.

cheerios, hotdog, yogurt, cheese, grapes, and graham crackers.

The Birthday Sunflower

2008-08-18T17:16:00.000-07:00

Only took 4 months, but one of Finnegan's birthday sunflowers finally bloomed. What a beauty.

...and I was impatient enough to want to rip them out to plant a vegetable garden. Lesson learned.

Crafty Afternoon....

2008-08-18T16:56:00.001-07:00

My friend Katy made some pot holders a while back and had a tutorial on her blog... I have pot holders a plenty, but I needed some new place-mats. So, I I found a Placemats tutorial on The Crafty Crow, and this afternoon Finn and I ran with it. I think we'll do this with Cohen too, to make something he can take home to mom. Finn really enjoyed coloring with "fancy" (fabric)markers.

I made sure I put Finnegan's name and age in the corner, just so we're sure this wasn't done by Brandon or somebody.

I did the sewing once Finn was sick of coloring (that's a 2 year old's attention span for ya!), and backed it with a solid blue cotton. We'll hopefully be able to get a few more drawings made and a few more place-mats sewn in the next few days.

Muffin Tin Monday

2008-08-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

Peanut Butter and Applesauce Sandwich, Eggsalad Sandwich, Yellow and Orange Bell Peppers, Cheese, Bananas and Graham Crackers.

Finnegan and Cohen actually really enjoyed the Applesauce alternative to jam on their sandwiches... not the egg salad so much.

Poor Kid...

2008-08-10T04:07:00.000-07:00

It's 4:07 a.m. as I type this and I've been up now for about 21 hours. I had good intentions of getting to bed at a reasonable Saturday night time, around 10:30. I started my bedtime routine and went in to check on Finnegan, and there he was...sitting up in bed, covered in an upchucked version of dinner. And he's been continuing the up-chuckin' about every 20-30 minutes since. Brandon of course has been amazing and helped Finn through the messiest of it all, but I finally sent him off to bed at around 2, and here I am in between bouts.

I didn't think that this would ever be something that I'd write about in my blog, but it seems to be significant in the fact that we, as parents, have never yet had to deal with a night like tonight... Not that I didn't see it coming. This is only about the 3rd time that I can recall Finnegan throwing up, and the 2 other times were in the day time and passed relatively quickly.

So, I've spoken to the consulting nurse 2x this evening, mainly to calm my nerves that anything is seriously wrong with my child. She was amazing and wonderful and patient enough to deal with a mother who has no idea what she's doing. And now I'm sitting here at 4:15 and Finnegan is sleeping for the moment and I am calm and surprising myself at how awake I am. I'll give you all an update as to how the boy is feeling in the morning. Oh wait... it is morning. Maybe this afternoon.

Gorgeous Etsy

2008-07-31T16:26:00.000-07:00

I've been noticing a LOT of Pretty being thrown around on Etsy lately... I thought I'd share some of it with you. Aren't these great?

Yeah, yeah, yeah... I know that it's not typical that a Mixer is beautiful, but it is in my weird "mutant" eyes!

Our First Egg!

2008-07-29T11:08:00.000-07:00

Our hen "Mary Poppins" (Finnegan picked that name... Brandon named the other one "Nugget") gave us our first egg this morning. A perfect, tiny, light brown egg. Here's a picture of an excited toddler inspecting it, with proud egg-laying Mary Poppins in the background. Also a comparison pic next to our VW key to show how little this first egg is. Still a pretty exciting day in the McG house!

Dancin' in the Streets

2008-07-27T10:57:00.000-07:00

Ballard's Seafood Fest 2008

Wood Block Building

2008-07-23T21:09:00.000-07:00

Last week, when Brandon was building the chicken coop, he took a little time out to make Finnegan an airplane out of scrap wood blocks.

Today... Finnegan asked me if he could play with some of the wood scraps that Brandon had set aside in a box for kindling. I grabbed some pieces out for him, set them on the patio, and left him to his creativity so I could get him a snack from the kitchen. When I came back, this is what I saw...

Brandon's airplane on the right, Finnegan's airplane(sans screwdriver) on the left. I showed Brandon the photos when he got home this evening, and you could say he was no less than absolutely proud of his little boy. A little boy lookin' up to his dad.

They're Here!

2008-07-21T11:57:00.000-07:00

The coop is complete, and the Chickens are here! We took a small family roadtrip Sunday up to Stanwood, and picked out our 2 chickens and brought them home. One is a Buff Orpington (tan colored) and the other is a Barred Rock (black with white speckles). Finn is convinced that the Buff Orpington is a "Mommy" Chicken and the Barred Rock is a "Daddy" Chicken. We've told him that their both "Mommies", but he's not convinced.

Rainbow Muffin Tin

2008-07-20T20:32:00.000-07:00

Here's our RAINBOW muffin tin... check out SycamoreStirrings(click on the pic) for more details...

Applesauce(yellow), Avacado(Green), Goldfish(Orange), Watermelon(Red), Tillamook Mountain Huckleberry yogurt(Purple), and I couldn't figure out blue, so I threw in some fruity Cheerios as an ode to the RAinbow!

We're Gonna Give it a Try...

2008-07-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

I found a link to a great contest on Enviromom. The ONE CAN A MONTH CHALLENGE!!! The whole point is to get down to one can of waste (not including recycling or yard and food waste) a month. We're going to give it a shot. I'm keeping the expectation that we probably won't be successful in the first month, and maybe not even the second, but we'll get there!

Check it out here, to get details and tips on how to get it done, and give it a try in your home too:

Chicken Coop Progress...

2008-07-15T15:31:00.000-07:00

The Chicken Tour last weekend, was nothing less than motivational... Brandon got working almost as soon as we got home that evening.

The frame is put together. We found a great little door, and the nesting boxes are in...

And I painted it today. Blue with an Orange door.

Next up:
Enclose the boxes with side doors for easy access, Wire, Perches, and the design and construction of our GREEN ROOF!!! You heard me! Oh yeah, and some chickens would be good too.

The Seattle Tilth City Chickens Tour

2008-07-12T21:58:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun today exploring all the different City Chicken dwellings in Seattle. Click on the above pics to find out more...

Who's He Look Like Now?

2008-07-09T21:43:00.001-07:00

Trying on Daddy's glasses...

Finn's Kayaking Adventure

2008-07-09T20:40:00.000-07:00

Finn took his first Kayaking trip with Daddy yesterday. Not too long... just from Fremont to Ballard along the canal. He loved it!!

Muffin Tin Monday...

2008-07-07T11:57:00.000-07:00

Guess what I broke down and bought. Not necessarily just for the purpose of lunch on Mondays, but for the muffin makin' purpose as well. This week and from now on, we'll be sharing our muffin tins with our new friend Cohen. Click on a photo for a better intro to our new friend.

Ranger cookie, PB&J, Grapes (which were quickly devoured and replaced with Edamame), Cheerios, Golden Kiwi, and Banana.

Cohen ate EVERYTHING!!! Finnegan, not so much.

The Bridge on Maui

2008-07-01T09:02:00.000-07:00

Most of you know that we traveled to Hawaii in April, and I still need to post more pictures from that trip, and I will someday. We were there on vacation to relax and forget about fleece hats and Bridges. But it was kind of difficult to rid our selves of the latter, since we were staying at the house that Brandon's company is renting, and we visited the site where the crew would be, and are now building a 360 foot suspension bridge. It's been a bit difficult for me to imagine the bridge that Brandon designed sitting on that site, since there was nothing there when we visited. This is what it looked like then...

Thanks to Patrick "The Bridge Guy", who has been a guest bridge builder for this project, I'm able to show you these photos he took, of the last few weeks of progress on the Kapalua Suspension bridge that Brandon designed.

Click on any of these images to go to the SAHALE website to see more of Brandon's bridges.

Pie Plate Monday

2008-06-29T20:51:00.000-07:00

I've decided that I'm going to be rebellious and use a different type of dish every week for "Muffin Tin Monday". Click on the pic to see more muffin tin mamas at Sycamore Stirrings....

Cheddar cheese chunks, Grapes, Black bean chips, Carrots, Hard Boiled Egg, Tomatoes.

First "Harvest"

2008-06-27T09:34:00.001-07:00

Finn and I indulged in our first and only 2 strawberries from our plants. YUMMY! It's amazing how much sweeter they taste since we grew them.

"Muffin Tin" Monday

2008-06-23T12:19:00.000-07:00

I've realized that there's an amazing realization that comes along with "Muffin tin" Mondays... I know now when I need to get my rear to the grocery store. Here's our lunch for this Monday:

Strawberries, whole wheat Ritz, Grapes, Everything bagel, Cheddar cheese, graham crackers, applesauce.

Crafty fun...

2008-06-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

I posted this one on my "Green" blog. Fun!

Finnegan's paper mache "Straw" hat:

A Crazy Kiddo Moment

2008-06-17T12:03:00.001-07:00