Preggie Brain

In lieu of actual knitting content (my current projects are wool, and it is Far Too Hot to Knit here):

Wanda (check out her fabulous Horcrux socks, BTW) asked a couple of days ago how the pregnancy was progressing. I am pleased to report: pretty darned good thus far.
We had a brief ultrasound today, and both the tech and the doctor who reviewed the scan said that everything looked really good. It's so weird: the little thing actually looks like a person now.
(Last time we saw it, it was sort of a bouncing ball of blobby, vaguely humanoid tininess. Cute, but completely alien.)

So of course, the tech was kind enough to print a few pictures for us, and of course I took them to work and forced my co-workers to admire the adorable person-to-be who has taken up residence in my midsection, and of course I. Left. The. Bleeping. Roll. Of. Pictures. On. My. Desk.
(Grr. Arrgh.)

So no pics for y'all. Whoops.
I claim 'pregnancy brain.' It is a fabulous malady, causing no actual pain but guaranteeing you instant sympathy. Pretty sweet, n'est pas?
Perhaps tomorrow, if I can get my act together.

BeeHaven

(Picture-heavy post. If you're on dial up, you may wanna get a cup of coffee while this loads...)

While the rest of the country wonders where the bees are, I know the answer.

They're on my lawn.

The little ranch house we rent has a massive giant generous spray of bee pheromone lavender along the walkway, and consequently, every bee in a 40-mile radius of Portland is hanging out.
Fortunately, for me, I have a stuffy nose and can't smell it.
Unfortunately for me, the neighborhood postal manager has asked that we cut it back. After two (admittedly gentle) attempts, it looks exactly the same as it did last week.

Sigh. I'm trying not to kill it, but I would like it to calm down a bit.
There's only so many sachets and batches of lavender chicken a girl can make, you know?
Any gardening experts out there who can steer me in the right direction?

[Aside: Both Boy-O and I are apartment children. The whole business of lawn mowing is foreign to our experience. And what's with the plot of grass out front? Doesn't that belong to the city? Isn't that technically their job?
At any rate, we have given up on the ancient electric mower left to us by the owners and are heading out to buy ourselves a reel mower. May as well get some exercise with my new-to-single-family-housing trauma.]

There are things about the lawn that I'm enjoying, however.


This little ferny circle of goodness, for example. If it were my house, the whole lawn would look like this.


B says this looks like giant celery. I think it's something fancy from New Zealand.

The back yard is also thriving under our benign neglect.

Especially the mint.

And the bamboo.


And the pooches.


Tom, tom the attention slut...


Happy Belly girl in the sunshine.


But what is this I spy?


A copy of "Glamour Knits," by Erika Knight. One of the many fabulous prizes in Claudia's MS Ride Fundraiser. Please give a donation, if you can.
If this one doesn't tempt you, check out the rest of the prizes here.

This weekend looks a little weak for knitting. Boy-O and I are playing (cleaning) house, since we're going to host some dear visitors in about a month.
A semi-impromptu trip to the Seattle IKEA last Sunday provided most of what we need for the housing of our nearest and dearest, so this weekend will provide ample time for us to put it all together.
Hopefully, we can get the lawns tidied as well. Or, you know, cover it all with black plastic and start over. Whatever.
Enjoy your Memorial Day to those who are celebrating.
May the remembrances of those lost be filled with more joy than sorrow.

[PS to Courtney: Na-na-na-na-nah-nah!]

NVP'd

No, it's not a weird variation on a sports term, but among the many joys (?) of pregnancy.
See here for details.

As a result of said NVP, today's blog is somewhat light on the action.
Lacy Waves needs more brain power than I currently have, I screwed up the duplicate stitch on "Buster" and need to make a decision, and I've started a new unbloggable project because certain Sisters may or may not be visiting the blog and will thus ruin the surprise.

Instead, I'll have to offer up the old chestnut of seven random things about me. I don't know how random they'll turn out to be, but hey - that's the price you pay for genuine randomness, isn't it?

1) As I've previously mentioned, my family is huge. So large, in fact, that I wouldn't know some of them to see them. This point was brought home to me when it turned out that my 7th grade math teacher was my dad's cousin.

2) Of all the math classes I took, Algebra is the one I use most on a daily basis.

3) Boy-O and I have wildly divergent taste in music. When we moved in together, we discovered we had exactly one CD in common. (Mi Tierra, by Gloria Estefan)

4) Neither of us actually speaks Spanish, so we're mostly guessing what the songs are about.

5) I have never learned to drive. Not a car, not a boat, not a motorcycle: I have never held a license of any sort.

6) Except for a food handler's license (in both MN and IL).

7) If my life had gone according to the plan I made in 2002, I would currently be a restaurant chef. I'd arranged my entire life so that this could happen: moving to the north side of Chicago to be close to campus, gotten accepted at Kendall College, and started working in the natural foods industry. Instead, I knit for a living.

Random enough, eh? Now let's hear it from y'all.

The Best Kind of Creation

(cross-posted to the Create Along)

Confession time: I've been holding out on you all.
Which is the most difficult thing, because I am The Worst Secret Keeper in the World (tm).
(hee - I originally wrote Worsted. Knit much?)
So instead, I have posted less frequently, trying to keep the All Consuming Secret to myself.
Though there are other blog-worthy things going on in my life, not being able to share my little obsession has been challenging, since, being an obsession, it is all I can/want to think about.

Said secret has also made my participation in the CAL more difficult, since my original idea for my project is now inappropriate for my personal circumstances. So I've shuffled the knitting deck, rearranged my project queue and put off the necessary revamp of my Evergreen.
But now I think I'm ready to tackle it.

Despite the lack of posting, there's been plenty of creation going on.
This July, my baby sister (!) is having a baby.
And this December, so am I.

I Heart The Innernets

Because if it didn't exist, I would never have known that someone actually knit these.
Go see Katie now, and congratulate her on her insane achievement.
(Hee. I'm so proud. Definitely the goofiest thing I've ever designed, but so. much. fun.)

Cinco de Hell No

Y'all: I so intended to leave the house, run some errands, pay a visit to my happy place (AKA Nordstrom's shoe department), and generally enjoy a lazy solo Saturday.
When what to my wandering eyes should appear?


Wildlife, y'all. Perhaps you need a bit of help to see: I was so stunned it took me a moment to get the camera.


Yes, folks, that there shiny tail is the OPOSSUM that just sauntered brazenly across my lawn.
Now, I'm from Chicago. We don't do wildlife. We do giant metallic beans, we do fountains with fancy laser light shows, but we don't do wildlife unless it is safely confined within the sanctuary that is Lincoln Park Zoo.
I may retire to my fainting couch until I've recovered from this daring adventure in living with Nature.
******************

In knitting news, the Lacy Waves Top has gotten awkward, and needs homebound attention.
My new tote-around-town project, however, remains dainty and small.



It's "Buster" from my favorite kids' book, Rowan Babies. I just couldn't resist this combination of shiny, happy shades of orange.