Extra Terrestial, New Sweater, Rain, and Moving Boxes.

It has been too long since I updated my blog, just around 24 weeks. I do have a fairly good excuse this time around: I am 24 weeks pregnant! I am also starting school again (today) and we are buying a house.

I just finished an adorable sweater for 'Brutus' (as my Father has named him) from a vintage pattern provided through Vintage Purls, it is the Baby Vest (Ravelry Link). My first finished project with sock yarn and I am very proud.

Now that the baby is moving around regularly it is interesting to feel another creature inside you almost constantly! Yesterday the dog barked and woke him up. This morning I woke up to lightning and thunder and the baby did also. He has a favorite position already which leaves only one side of my belly sore by the end of his late-night workout. He sleeps all afternoon-during my ultrasounds. Apparently babies can curl up tight enough to not get a profile shot.

Activity Jar

Brad and I decided that we waste most of our time doing unproductive things. Most of those unproductive activities we do under the pretense that we need "a break" or some time to ourselves. So we made a list of 62 activities (the number is still growing) that we want to do and some things that just need to get done. Here are a few:

go stargazing
clean the cars
build a rocking chair
read a book
refinish the back porch
plant flowers
plan a double date
buy a potted plant
give Cleo a bath

I went to the scrapbook store, bought cute paper, and cut the paper into 1/2" x 4" strips. I wrote all the activities on the strips of paper (you can get 62 strips from one 12"x 12" paper). We put these strips into a jar and now get to pick spontaneous activities to do when we feel like we are wasting our time. This easy idea could be used for children too, or dinners, or for picking your next knitting project!

The Beginning of the Blog Book

I love blogs, I love reading them, I love participating with them.
Do I have a blog? Yes.
Do I keep up on my blog? No.

This weekend I was at my parent's home and was telling my Mom that I should hire someone to write my blog for me.
She said, "You talk a lot, why don't you just write about that?"
That was the spark for the beginning of the blog-book. I went to Barnes and Noble, bought a journal 'refill' for under $6 and have been filling it up. I have been filling it up with my random thoughts very quickly (I should have thought of this way earlier). So to you few readers out there: Strap in because this ride is going to be crazy!

Haitian Roots- The 100 Miles Cowl

On Saturday I finally had a bit of time to do what I have felt I should do for awhile, I made a pattern where all proceeds go to a charitable organization-Haitian Roots. This is a pattern I was able to knit and design within a day, very easy and very quick. I have it up for sale on Ravelry as the '100 Miles Cowl', and with only a dollar you can help pay for the education of a Haitian Child.

Haitian Roots is based in Ogden Utah, they help to pay for the children of Haiti's education. You can read (and donate!) about it more on their website. A Child's education in Haiti only costs $250 for a year, but it is hard to get a child educated when 90% of the population only makes $100 a year. This program has been around for awhile, and they will be around even after the quake, they are some of the people who are truly working to make Haiti a better place. As long as Haitian Roots is up and running (and I am still designing) all profits from the 100 Miles Cowl Design will go to them.

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." Chinese Proverb