Wet Autumn Day

I do love a good wet, gloomy day, especially when the weather begins to turn chilly. It’s just so cozy to be “trapped” indoors.

I took Helen outside in the rain, wrapped in my hoodie, to get the mail. She seemed perplexed by the wetness hitting her face. Seeing how lovely everything was in the misty rain, I set Helen back inside for Reuben to watch while I captured the beauty of the trees just beginning to change color.

Back inside, I fixed myself a cup of black tea and a Chai Gingerbread Bar with whipped cream while Helen took her second nap.

What did you do this Saturday? Are you excited for chilly weather?

8 Responses to Wet Autumn Day

1. Liz 
   September 28th, 2013 at 6:00 pm
   I can’t wait for the chilly weather to arrive. Cozy fires, hot tea, spicy soups… I love it all. Here in the bluegrass, it’s still hitting upper 70s in the afternoons, though the mornings are getting chillier. Despite this, I have been super excited for fall and doing “fall” things regardless of the weather. Made a lavender Earl Grey latte and helped my brother make a paella, though I am hoping to fit in time for some pumpkin muffins.. :) Looks like autumn is in full force for you guys, though!
   In retrospect, I have no idea how fall-ish making paella is, but it’s yummy.:P
2. (Auntie) Jean Plate 
   September 29th, 2013 at 2:41 am
   Thanks, Erica, for the beautiful pictures and letting us “peek into the window of your life” now and then!
   I enjoy seeing Helen grow! Thanks, too, for the pictures of the horse (is that old Cody?) and the maple leaves! (The only maple I’ve gotten to survive here in Alaska is about 18 inches high and is about 10 years old!) I loved seeing the colors in the rain.
   Today we moved a small mountain of top soil…well, at least part of it…to cover the excavation that happen at our well and around the new house for Grandma. Oh, we also winterized the bus and motorhome, so yes, we are mostly ready for winter. (One more garden to till.) There’s fresh snow on the mountains but no snow here yet. The sky tonight looked very much like it will be here soon.
   This evening we took the kids out for a progressive supper! First stop, our favorite Mexican restaurant for chips and salsa. Then on to our favorite burger place for wings and 1 hamburger with fries (shared between the 4 of us) and desert was at McDonalds…shakes, McFlury and a smoothy! It was a fun evening.
3. Nat @ Made in Home 
   September 29th, 2013 at 11:33 am
   Beautiful pictures! I love the Autumn!
4. Sarah 
   September 30th, 2013 at 10:40 am
   So pretty! I love rainy autumn days.
5. Erica Lea 
   October 2nd, 2013 at 10:00 am
   Liz: Yes, as soon as the weather isn’t blazing hot, I’m in a fall mood. :) Oh, all of your food sounds amazing! Now I really want paella – it’s been YEARS since we’ve had it. Maybe I can convince Mom to make some. :D
6. Erica Lea 
   October 2nd, 2013 at 10:04 am
   Auntie Jean: Yes, that’s old Cody (from Auntie Barb). I loved the little droplets of rain on his “whiskers.” :)
   Sounds like you guys had a busy Saturday! I think it’s awesome what you’re doing for Ric’s mom.
   That sounds like a fun supper. I like to sample lots of different kinds of foods.
   Thank you for sharing about your day – it transports me to Alaska. :)
7. Erica Lea 
   October 2nd, 2013 at 10:06 am
   Nat: Thank you! Yes, Autumn is my favorite season. :)
8. Erica Lea 
   October 2nd, 2013 at 10:06 am
   Sarah: Thank you! Me too. So cozy. :)

Casting On: Killington Scarf

I’ve started knitting this beautiful scarf pattern. I can’t wait to wear it this fall/winter.

Helen is very interested in all my knitting endeavors. She would LOVE to get her hands on my work.

I’ll update you when I cast off and block!

Linking up at Yarn Along

12 Responses to Casting On: Killington Scarf

1. Rebecca Lately 
   September 17th, 2013 at 3:23 pm
   That is so pretty :)
2. Carissa @ Pretty/Hungry 
   September 18th, 2013 at 11:12 pm
   Helen is such a cutie! And I love her name!
3. Colleen Moran 
   September 24th, 2013 at 10:55 am
   Oooh, what a cute baby and what is that amazing yarn??
4. Teresa Frei 
   September 25th, 2013 at 4:21 pm
   Beautiful! Wish I could knit!
5. Nat @ Made in Home 
   September 29th, 2013 at 11:32 am
   I love the yarn you chose! And what a great pattern – had to check it out on Ravelry. Also very impressed you are leaving your little one near knitting needles – mine would put them in his mouth straight away.. Coming from Yarn Along
6. CathieJ 
   September 29th, 2013 at 6:30 pm
   Beautiful yarn and I love the pattern you picked. What a cute baby too!
7. Erica Lea 
   October 2nd, 2013 at 10:06 am
   Nat: Oh, Helen would definitely put them in her mouth if I didn’t watch her every second. :P Yes, I love the yarn! Can’t wait to wear the scarf.
8. Erica Lea 
   October 2nd, 2013 at 10:06 am
   CathieJ: Aw, thanks! :)
9. Erica Lea 
   October 2nd, 2013 at 10:07 am
   Teresa: Thank you!
10. Erica Lea 
    October 2nd, 2013 at 10:07 am
    Colleen: It’s Jojoland in “Melody”
11. Erica Lea 
    October 2nd, 2013 at 10:08 am
    Carissa: Aw, thanks! I love her so much. :)
12. Erica Lea 
    October 2nd, 2013 at 10:08 am
    Rebecca: Thank you!

7 Months Old!

Helen is seven months old today!

This little rascal is getting into all sorts of trouble lately. She’s an expert at crawling now and loves to explore everywhere. But particularly in the most inconvenient places. Like the trash can.

I can’t believe that she’s already starting to pull up to standing. The other day I was sitting next to her, reading the manual for my new (old) sewing machine. When I looked up, she had pulled herself up onto the window. She’s definitely a very motivated baby.

One awesome thing she’s started doing: going to bed early and sleeping through the night. She still wakes up at 3:00 sometimes, but mostly she’ll sleep from 9 PM to 5 AM. I usually just feed her and put her back in the crib (or keep her in bed with us if I’m too lazy or want some cuddling).

I decided to remove all of the breakable jars from the bottom of this bookshelf and set up a play station for her. She can sit and play by herself for quite a while now (if she’s in a good mood). Hallelujah!!

But I still need to keep an eye on her.

She was contentedly playing with her spatula the other day while I was trying to tidy up our pigsty house. Everything went quiet. I quickly moved in to check on Helen. She had something squishy in her hands. Turns out it was a tiny dead frog.

I had a bit of a freak out moment.

“Aaaahghljkjsdk!! — It’s okay honey. It’s okay. — Gaaaaaah ewewewewew!!”

Later that same day I left her in the bedroom for a moment. I saw her eagerly crawling towards something out of my sight and decided I should investigate. She was just starting to pick up a (very dirty) diaper that I had forgotten to toss into the diaper pail. Thankfully I caught her before she could shove her hand into it. Grossgrossgross.

“Can you believe she’s almost seven months old?” I asked Reuben last night.

“That was a LONG seven months,” he replied.

And it has been.

It’s been a crazy hard adventure.

But it’s so rewarding. I love this little girlie more than I can tell. It’s so much fun to see her personality start to show.

I have continued to take a picture of Helen once a week. It will be fun to put the pictures together into a collage on her first birthday.

Here she is from 0-7 months old.

Little dolly.

Have a lovely day!

Erica

4 Responses to 7 Months Old!

1. Gabby 
   September 13th, 2013 at 3:51 pm
   Haha! She is just so adorable! And looks so sneaky! Such a great idea to take the photos, bet it will be a lovely collage later! =)
   Wishing you a nice weekend! =)
2. Anna 
   September 14th, 2013 at 12:12 pm
   Aw, she’s lovely! And SO up to no good in the first picture :) I’m glad to read that she’s sleeping through the nights and that you’re getting some sleep, from what I’ve gathered you had a rough start.
   I had a similar frog-episode with Malva when she was about 9 months, our cat had dragged in a mouse and laid it beside her, as a gift I presume.. when she was sitting on the kitchen floor up in our summerhouse in Sweden. I totally freaked out to say the least.. :)
   Have a great weekend!
   Anna
3. Cait 
   September 17th, 2013 at 12:56 pm
   What a sweet face! I have the same chevron sheet on my daughter’s crib right now. I had bought fabric to make one and then realized it was only $2 more to buy it at Target, so I returned the fabric :)
   Every two months or so it seemed my baby reached a new turning point. 2 months and 6 months especially were like night and day from before. It gets easier! A lot easier, but then you have to start training them :)
4. kelli 
   October 18th, 2013 at 6:09 pm
   she makes the cutest faces! happy to have stumbled upon your blog via a leaf garland search.=)

Knitting Project: Pixie Tadhd Hat

For some reason, hats just don’t want to stay on a baby’s head, especially a newborn’s head. So I decided to knit a hat for Helen with ties. Of course she picks it off her head immediately and I haven’t had the courage to tie it down yet (she’d probably just get really frustrated that she can’t take it off). But, if I sneak it onto her head when she’s occupied with something else (like the flowers in the third photo), she ignores it for a while.

I dressed her in a cute, cozy sweater for these photos, but I was too lazy to put pants on her. I’m cool like that, yo. She’s gotten to a very wiggly stage – diaper changes are a nightmare. She’s very strong and bucks and strains very hard whenever I try to dress or change her.

Anywho, here’s some details about the hat in case you want to make if for your cutie (or someone else’s cutie).

Pattern: Pixie Tadhg [FREE]

Yarn: Unknown worsted weight (I picked it up second hand and it didn’t have a label).

Needles: US size 8 sixteen-inch circular and double pointed needles

This pattern was very easy. I was able to knit it up in about a day. Though I did have to rip it out after I realized that I had twisted my stitches (see second photo). You try casting on with an active baby clamoring for your attention and see how well you fair. ;)

And now I’m eager to start another project. I’m already working on this lovely scarf. Then, perhaps, these boot cuffs.

3 Responses to Knitting Project: Pixie Tadhd Hat

1. Megan 
   September 11th, 2013 at 11:01 am
   Super cute! :) Love it!
2. Diane 
   September 11th, 2013 at 9:01 pm
   So darling! (The hat is cute, too. ; ))
   Is your family Norwegian? These hats are very popular with the Norse. I made some like it for my boys were small, but I made them in red. If Helen fusses at having the hat tied under her chin, don’t worry. She’ll get used to it soon. Explain to her that she needs hair if she wants to go hatless. j/k
   Best,
   Diane
3. Lisa 
   September 11th, 2013 at 11:15 pm
   Miss Helen is just the absolute cutest baby! What a darling hat. The last picture? Gorgeous!

Boho Ponytail

As a mom, it’s harder to find hairstyles that are feasible. They need to be comfortable and last all day. Most days I opt for a simple braid or pony. Lately I’ve been trying to put a little more effort into my daily hairstyles (it doesn’t always happen).

And so, as requested, here’s a hairstyle that I tried out today. I don’t have time to film and edit a tutorial right now, but no worries: Kaley’s got your back. You can watch her tutorial for this boho ponytail HERE.

I did mine a little differently – I left out the knot and just secured everything with an elastic at the back of my head and wrapped a piece of hair around to hide the hairtie.

And of course I had to include of photo of Helen. Little stinker.

I was TRYING to paint my toenails today, but she kept following me around, trying to grab my toes or the polish bottle. She finally managed to smudge my big toe. Silly-head. I love her so.

Photo credit goes to Reuben.

And I know it’s super annoying that the back of my shirt is turned up in the first photo. Oh well.

What’s your go-to hairstyle for active days?

2 Responses to Boho Ponytail

1. Liz 
   September 5th, 2013 at 11:28 am
   HAHA, I didn’t even notice that your shirt was turned up till you mentioned it. I too love boho braids, but I am also lazy. I will make a point to try this one though!
2. Kristin 
   September 13th, 2013 at 1:24 pm
   I love this and will try it on my 10 yr old – she’s very into braids right now! Also, didn’t notice your shirt until you pointed it out lol. Thanks for sharing :)