Picking, slinging, apples

Despite my best effort to quell the caterpillar uprising, there were still casualties. My patio is littered with little green bodies, yet new damage appears daily on my cabbage seedlings. Not to mention my broccoli; luckily that's well-established enough to withstand it.

My garden duties at the moment consist of picking runner beans by the handful, picking spent sweet peas, and picking caterpillars off various vegetables.

While I've loved Franklin's baby carrier, he's just getting too heavy for me in it. Its designed so that most of the baby's weight is carried on the shoulders like a backpack. Well, Franklin hasn't been weighed in ages but I would venture to say he's around 15 pounds, and that means my back is killing me! I've been experimenting with a wrap sling I made*, and though I need practice tying it, it's a lot easier on my back. Wearing it, most of his weight is on my hip and waist and only a little on my shoulder.

*Literally I just tore a big piece off an old sheet; if you could examine it close up, you'd see dangling strings--maybe I should hem it or something

He rode in his new wrap on our walk today and actually fell asleep in it. He's cuddled asleep on my lap right now because I can't work out how to get it off without waking him.

At the last moment I decided to make apple jelly instead of apple butter. It's a beautiful deep clear red and we had some with our roast pork. If I can score more apples I will make butter.

Jelly fail and butter win, with a dearth of blogtime

I picked loads and loads of wild rosehips, got covered in scratches and thorns, kept picking up earwigs (yucky!), nearly lost the dog, and all I got to show for it was one measly glass of rosehip juice. I felt this was not worth making into jelly, so I've given up on that particular dream. The sugarless juice was kind of tomatoey tasting, by the way. I didn't really feel like drinking it, though I'm sure it would have been wonderful jelly. Had there only been more of it.

But.

The three of us plus doggy drove to London to see the inlaws this weekend, and I brought a jar of lovingly made strawberry jam and a lovingly grown cabbage in order to inveigle some of their apples. Only my plans were set awry by my sister-in-law who I'm told stripped the tree a week ago. Sigh.

But.

On the drive home, we stopped at a rest area to feed the baby and let the dog pee. While walking in the doggy area we saw some beautiful rosy ripe apples, with no one to catch us scrumping* some. I couldn't say for certain how many we picked, but I would venture several pounds. My apple butter is again full speed ahead!

*scrumping: purloining apples

I'm having a tough time keeping on top of regular posting at the moment because Franklin is mobile. Last week I put him down to play in his baby gym, sat down on the bed next to it to read, and five minutes later heard a thumping. I leaned over to see Franklin two feet away from his gym, chewing on the door. My free time is now limited to naptime and bedtime, and sadly, housework, bathing, eating, and sleeping are higher on my priority list than blogging. Sorry.

Caterpillar destruction and jam

Last month's blackfly infestation disappeared as just quickly as it appeared, no doubt partially due to the timely arrival of the Red and Black Brigade, pictured. Would that were the case with the caterpillars. Many many broccoli-destroyers still hunt, despite my efforts to turn them into little green smears. It doesn't help that they are bigger and obviously now baby butterflies. Nor does it help that they are full of slime: squishing them is singularly unpleasant. I can no longer rub them off: I have to pick them off individually and step on them. On the positive side, my broccoli is much more intact than last year's. Negatively, the part they love to eat the best are broccoli heads.

And my baby cabbages, safe from slugs and snails on my garden bench? Not safe from butterflies! Three times I have gone out and rubbed off eggs from nearly every single seedling. I think the butterflies who choose seedlings for their offspring are very irresponsible parents. Don't they know caterpillars need to eat for a couple of weeks before metamorphosing? They'd be lucky if my cabbages lasted a day under their progeny's onslaught.

And the scores in the Jam World Championship:

First round (July 2010):
Strawberry jam: 8 jars.
Second round (August 2010):
Blackberry jam: 8 jars.
Sloe and apple jelly: 4 jars.
Final round (TBA):
Rosehip jelly.
Apple butter.
Other preserves, possibly vegetable based.

Spring cabbage, preserves, knitting

Completely the wrong season to plant cabbage? I think not! These two trays are next year's spring cabbages, to be planted out next month. Right now they live on my patio bench, in hopes that the snails won't discover them. I've had whole trays demolished overnight--nothing but sad little green stems left, and when the leaves are gone, the seedling is doomed.

On a related note, the thrushes have been going snail-mad this summer. Our driveway, barbecue pit, and patio are covered in empty snail houses. I love that sight.

This morning while walking, I brought a basket and picked some wild plums--or possibly sloes--from the hedgerow. Franklin got bored right about the time I stripped all the reachable branches, but the dog was still going strong. I think she could have happily sniffed that tree all day. I don't quite have enough for jam, but I know of another tree in a different hedge which we can visit tomorrow. My blackberries aren't yet picked, but still on the agenda.

I borrowed a fun library book on preserving foods, and apparently there are a lot of wild "berries" which can be jam-ified. I'm particularly intrigued by rosehip jelly; I know where there are several wild rosebushes. And next time we visit the inlaws, I might nick some apples off them for apple butter. But I might not.

I'd been meaning to knit these booties for Franklin for some months now and finally got them finished. Now I want to knit more, only I have a feeling Franklin wouldn't get a lot of use out of them before he starts walking. Still, I might knit them anyway, just cause they're so darn cute.

A big boy, going veggie, with friends

This is my main vegetable patch. Or some of it, anyway. Visible is the broccoli in front, and the potatoes behind. Semi-visible are the cabbages and chard, and nearly invisible are the beets and celeriac. Every day we are scrambling to devour all the green yumminess--we can barely keep up with production rates. I collected a good amount of beet seeds from a few plants left from last year. I won't know till I plant them next year, but won't it be the coolest if they grow?

For many reasons but mainly in a bid to be healthier, Partner and I have cut back a little on eating meat. I doubt we'll become full-time vegetarians any time soon, but we're dipping our toes as part-timers, so to speak. Two or three nights a week sees us consuming non-meat-based meals. Now, instead of buying the cheapest meats at the supermarket, we're trying to buy better-quality locally-reared meat. True, it's more expensive; but if we eat meat less often, the cost evens out.

Big boy Franklin is now five months old and learning to drink from a sippy cup. He thinks it's fun to have a drink of water, but when he gets his milk from it, he gets very serious indeed. Partner has been teaching him to drink, as he'll need to when I go back to work (not for several weeks yet). We decided that we'd rather not introduce a bottle, in case it interfered with breastfeeding. So I'm trying to remember to pump in the evening when Franklin's in bed, and freeze it into cubes for later use. I won't be working full-time, and he will be able to eat a little bit of other foods by the time I do go back--hopefully it'll all work out.

We're about to embark on the messy journey of baby weaning. There are two disciplines in the Way of the Baby Food. First is the spoon-fed puree school of thought. More adventurous is the put newspapers on floor, give baby bowl, and stand clear method. Personally, I think the second sounds more fun (and less time-consuming, as baby can play and eat what you eat, while you eat), though we'll have to see how it goes. Maybe we should get a high chair this weekend.

I met some friends at a cafe a few days ago--the first time I've actually made a date to see people since Franklin's birth. True, I've been to see my friends at work a few times, and I usually pop over to the neighbor's a few times a month, but to sit and drink lattes and gossip...I think I need to do this more often.

Clematis, blackberries, and supermama to the rescue

I couldn't be bothered to reel in the hose before taking this photo of my new arch. Last winter we tore down the old wooden one, and I was unsure if the passionflower and red clematis survived its demise. I can happily report that both did, and though greatly reduced in size, they thrive once more. The clematis even found the impetus to flower; this lovely vine has at most bloomed about ten flowers in a given season. My purple clematis (pictured below) postively drips with flowers over the summer, and my pink one sports more flowers than leaves in spring. I don't know what red's problem is. Also pictured are the sweet peas, orange crocosmia, pink oregano, and many many weeds. I have a love-hate relationship with my weeds. I hate them but they love me.

For the past week I've be reconnoitering all the local blackberry patches. It seems the berries now begin to ripen, but not yet in any great multitude. Some of the patches have very few berries, green or otherwise. I think the lack of regular rain showers has affected their production. Several patches look likely, however. My plans for world domination by jam can proceed.

Franklin has reached the stage where he just wants his mama and no one else will do. Dad is tolerable, but only if Franklin has just had a refreshing nap, been stuffed to the brim, and has a completely dry bum. Every time someone else wants to hold him, his lip start to quiver and he bursts into (real) tears. Even though it can be very draining--I hardly get grown-up time now--I mostly like being the center of his little world. The added bonus of breastfeeding is that I can solve all his problems too. Just got scared by a loud motorcycle/dog sneeze/bump in the stroller? I can fix that. Need to sleep but can't stop wiggling? No problem. Just had the worst time of your life at the doctor, involving three sharp needles? I have exactly what you need.

Squishing, cabbages, and walking

I think these three butterflies finished their life's work and are resting from their labors. I went around a few days ago with gardening gloves, rubbing off any eggs and small caterpillars I could find on my broccoli and cabbage. Partner said, and I agree: it's not as if the hundreds of caterpillars turn into hundreds of butterflies which then stick around our garden. Once they're matured into flying creatures, they take off and we never see them again. Well, except maybe twenty or so which then lay hundreds more eggs...

I felt bad about squishing them, but gritted my teeth and got on with it. I also have a small blackfly infestation which needed rubbing out, too. My garden gloves are looking a little icky.

My big vegetable bed is literally packed with tasties this year. Pictured are my very abundant runner beans (most of which grew from last year's harvested seeds). In a patch of bare earth which previously grew new potatoes (yummy) I planted every last carrot seed I own last week, in hopes that they'll have enough of the season left to grow. I would guess that there were about a hundred seeds. I also have some spring cabbages seeds yet to plant, though at the moment we're up to our ears in cabbage. I asked Partner if he thought it was ok to feed the dog cabbage. We have that much.

In non-gardening news, I am now only ten pounds heavier than my pre-pregnancy weight--meaning I've lost twenty pounds--and fit into pretty much all my clothing (some tight but not uncomfortably so). Except my old button-up shirts. I don't know if I'll fit into them again once I stop breastfeeding, or if my ribcage is permanently expanded. I think breastfeeding and my daily walk have helped me lose the weight.

Walking is great. Franklin usually rides in the sling, to give me that extra workout. (These are the instructions for use on the inside of Franklin's sling. Step twelve is the best; click on the picture to zoom in.) And the dog: she's so obedient now, it almost makes me feel sorry for other dog owners. Sometimes I wonder if I'm too strict with her, but then I see someone else's dog dragging them along on the leash, or yapping uncontrollably, and I get a very smug feeling. I hope it doesn't show on my face.

Jamming, a glut of vegetables, and death to caterpillars

Hooray for jam! I think we had a little over six pounds of berries left when we finally got around to making it. I did a 3/4 ratio of sugar to fruit, cooked it to 105C (about 220F, I think), added a little fresh lemon juice to help with the gelling process, and voila! My stockpot at the back of the stove doubled as a pressure cooker, to help seal the jars once filled. Because we had so many strawberries, we needed two pans to make it all in one go.

And we ran out of jars before we ran out of jam. I'm a bit hit and miss when it comes to saving jars (like mayonnaise or salsa jars) for future use. I ended up having more jars than lids--figures. So the last bit went into a plastic take-away container, and it's the one we're eating first. Yummy.

I think I may have been a little over-ambitious with the cabbage this year. We picked our first head, and it's lasted four meals. So far. There's enough left for another meal. And I'm feeling like I should have planted more carrots. Just started digging them up, and they go so quickly! Beets, too. I ran out of beet seeds, but still have carrot seeds. I could plant more if I do it immediately. And now I'm wishing I planted onion seeds, for spring onions. I have some volunteer garlic (I planted some like three years ago, and its descendants are still there), which makes for lovely "spring garlic:" the stalks are as tasty as the bulbs.

And remember last year's caterpillar invasion? This year's butterflies are laying the preliminary groundwork for a similar attack. I had better nip this threat in the bud, though I feel so bad killing them--butterflies are our friends. However, they spend a lot more time as destructive caterpillars than helpful butterflies, so I must stay strong.

Strawberries for our wedding anniversary

On our sixth wedding anniversary, Partner and I took Franklin to a strawberry farm to pick berries. Of course, baby Franklin is still too little to eat them, but he was quite happy to watch us pick them from his stroller. For about five minutes, that is. If one basket looks more full than the other, it's because Partner held Franklin and took photos while I continued picking: the slacker.

It was a warm day with the perfect combination of sun, cloud, and wind. After picking, we spread our picnic blanket under a shady tree and everyone got something lovely to eat (including the gnats; I'm still a bit itchy).

We picked 10 lbs of berries in total; this labor of love took only 45 minutes. I'm planning on making jam, as soon as I go shopping later today for some sugar and lemons. I'd better get on it quickly: two days later, I think we're down to 8 lbs. Once these berries rest safely in jars, I might like to go back, after a few weeks.

It wasn't incredibly romantic, but it was still lovely and a treat.

More photos, plus some garden pics here:

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y213/cosmicharley/Garden%20of%20Galadriel/July%202010/

Sweet peas and animal altercations on TV

I'm so proud of my sweet peas. I harvested the seeds last fall, planted them and crossed my fingers this spring, and they've delivered. I tried to harvest seeds from each color; inevitably, there was one color which prevailed (purple in this case) but still a lovely variety. They're now joyfully clambering up the archway to the garden, and walking through them is an aromatic delight.

A few weeks ago, our dog got into an altercation with a cat; as I did not witness it, I have to rely on second-hand accounts. According to these sources, each combatant attempted grievous bodily harm on the other, and it only ended when bystanders broke them up. In other words, the cat scratched the dog, the dog scratched the cat, and Partner hauled the dog away from the car the cat hid under. She's a terrier, and that means she wants to kill small furry things; in her mind, cats fall into this category. Never mind that most cats are the same size or bigger. Ever since, whenever we walk by, Beauty wants to have a really good look underneath that car.

I've just read a book called Remotely Controlled, which is about how TV damages people's (and particularly children's) lives, especially their social skills, not to mention their bodies and self-esteem. Whether or not everything claimed is true, it's still a lot to think about. I had read that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children should not watch any TV until the age of two, and before reading this book, that is what I had planned for Franklin. Now I think I don't want to expose him to any TV ever!

I don't watch much myself--there is one program I look forward to every week, and I almost always end up watching the episode online. So at the moment I watch 45 minutes a week, and this doesn't even involve the actual TV (though it involves a screen, which still counts). Apparently the average person watches four hours a day--that's 12 years over their lifetime! Just think of the time they could spend working on hobbies, or getting fit, or hanging out with friends or family. The book posed the question (and I paraphrase): if on your deathbed you could have back those 12 years to spend with your loved ones, would you say, "No thanks, I'm glad I watched all that TV"?

Produce and nests (my own and birds')

Coming to the realization I haven't posted any garden pics for a while brought me to these two photos. The first: my delicious new potatoes, grown and harvested (and eaten) by me. They went very well boiled then cooled and tossed into a salad.

Secondly: my asparagus. I admit, I did not grow every spear in the photo. But I did grow some of them (can you spot the difference? We couldn't actually tell much difference in taste) if I can get away with saying two is "some." This brings my asparagus harvest for the year to a grand total of seven spears.

We have a blackbird's nest in the shrub right outside our kitchen window. When I stand at the sink washing dishes I can see mama blackbird flying back and forth to feed three greedy chickies. Partner went out to have a look, and from his angle couldn't see anything, but I could see mama blackbird chirping softly on the fence with a mouthful of goodies, waiting for him to lose interest.

I sewed a quick sun hat for Franklin this week. Though it looks big in the photo, it actually fits him quite well. Making things for my baby satisfies a very primal instinct. Rather like mama blackbird and her mouthful of goodies.

Novels, sewing diapers, personal growth

In my head, among many other plans and dreams, lurks a novel. Maybe even several. I've heard it said that everyone carries a novel in their head, and unless committed to paper, it dies with you. Two friends began writing theirs and I have been privileged to read some of each; one is a fantasy, the other a thriller. The main novel in my head is a coming-of-age story, though I have a secondary fantasy drama, possibly a children's book, and a tentative thriller plot. I've been asking people if it's true: do you have a novel (or multiples of such) to write?

For this month, my goal is to make two cloth diapers. I've made one. I cut up an old t-shirt and hoodie, made a few layers, and sewed it up. It functions as well as the bought terrycloth diapers, featuring less bulk; however, it's not as easy to Snappi (red thing in the picture); I will have to rethink my design. Actually, a fitted diaper may be on the agenda. I've got the materials (old t-shirts are great); now I need the time.

The diapers I bought are very adequate (though as I mentioned, bulky), only the plastic covers are a sad let-down. They don't fit snugly and they tear easily; in a word: leakage. I'm on the look-out for new ones, except I've not seen any other kinds. What's an environmentally-conscious mama to do?

I love blogging, and as an individual, I've changed a lot since I began. I have learned a whole lot about writing, photography, marriage, gardening; my confidence has grown, and I've jumped into the deep end of parenting. Having a weekly post motivates me to consider and document the positive in my life; I'm inspired to accomplish my goals and look for the adventure in every-day happenings.

Pheasants and racehorses

This week Franklin and I took my sister and her friend to Brodsworth Hall, our local stately home. We all enjoyed seeing the grand rooms and possessions of the house. During our tour of the gardens we saw these two fine pheasant fellows. They were not as thrilled to see us as we were them.

We also discovered the playground at the Hall. The theme is ships and racehorses, seeing as that's what the original family put their money in; all three of us enjoyed springing on the mechanical racehorses while Franklin watched (with his eyes closed and mouth open) and climbing around the ship's rigging. I was personally a little scared of flying off the horses--they sprung forward and back at an alarming pace--but the two young ladies threw themselves about vigorously, and no one fell off
My garden is now in its first flush of loveliness--time I dusted of my flower vases. I arranged some roses, iris, and daisies on my windowsill; and a jug of lupins and daisies on my kitchen table. Tomorrow I will be brave and unearth some early potatoes. They haven't quite had three months, but I'm hopeful. And so far, we've eaten five asparagus spears. I kind of think that's our lot for the year, but for a first harvest, not too bad.

From the London zoo, reporting on the weather

Franklin and I had a flying visit to London with my sister and her friend. Those two are still there with Franklin's grandparents. During our trip, we all went to the London zoo--it rocked. Several exhibits we actually entered and walked among the animals: a few aviaries; a rainforest with birds, monkeys, and at least one sloth; and a monkey enclosure. Some monkeys performed tight-rope tricks carrying their babies, right above our heads. So. Cute.

I saw animals I've never seen before--even on tv or in pictures, such as this okapi. A friendly chap, I thought it looked somewhere between a zebra and a giraffe. My understanding: okapi are so shy and skittish, they're almost never seen. This one, however, enjoyed a scratch from a delighted zoo visitor.

From a very hot end of May to a rainy start of June, it seems like the usual British summer so far. Luckily my vegetables love rain, except of course the tomatoes; only time will tell if I made a wise choice in growing them. I think my first cabbages are nearly ready to harvest, we've been eating lettuce for a few weeks, and my early potatoes have some small buds. According to my sources, the potatoes can be eaten when the plants flower. I will report on my success or lack thereof at crunch time. Or in this case, cook time.

Losing weight, in the garden, with visitors

At last all my seedlings are in the ground (hooray!). Except the tomatoes (boo...). Against my better judgment, I again allowed Partner to persuade me to grow a few. This year I think we have five plants. He has promised to plant them himself. Somehow, taking care of a baby takes up all my time; I can only snatch five or ten minutes of gardening time a day. Meaning my seedlings have languished on the patio for the last two or three weeks, waiting for brief window of spare time. Pictured here are my runner beans and bamboo canes for their support, at the site of the old shed.

Flowers I'm growing (from seed, that is--I have a lot more perennials):

• nicotiana
• dahlias
• zinnias
• cosmos

Vegetables I'm growing:

• potatoes (early and maincrop)
• cabbage
• carrots
• celeriac
• beets
• rainbow chard
• zuccini
• tomatoes
• beans (runner and broad)
• broccoli
  

Since Franklin was born I have been actively trying to lose my pregnancy weight. A vigorous walk nearly every day, and I'm slowly working it off. I gained about 30 pounds by the end of my pregnancy, and last I weighed myself (a few weeks ago) I had lost 15 pounds. My maternity jeans are now a bit big on my hips and I can fit into at least one pair of my old slacks.

My sister and her friend are visiting us, but being teenagers, they come across as moody and unsociable. They've been here several days now, but don't make an appearance till after noon, and want to spend their days holed up with the computer. I think I'll have to be a bit more creative about tearing them away from the lures of facebook.

As it is, we'll be going to London for a few days this week. My last time in London, I was with a cousin and had a brilliant time getting completely lost every day. I can only hope these two are as congenial about not knowing where we're going.

The finished cardigan and fluffy balls of cootness

Here is the finished knitted cardigan. I only hope it fits him when the weather turns cold.

Did I mention weather? This morning the dog and I set out at 8am for our walk because it's simply sweltered the past several days. My garden explodes with new season flowers (and weeds) and my early potato plants seem to triple in size every day. Even at such an early hour, our walk was uncomfortably warm: we're not a hot sunny country, rather a cool wet country. When we get a heat wave, it's sticky and humid.

I brought the camera on our walk; I saw something at the pond I've never seen before: a family of coots, complete with brand-new chickies. Cuteness!

Not sure if it's mama coot or daddy coot but both were present	Click on the picture if you want to melt at the cuteness
Wild iris at the ponds	One of my favorite paths

The other day I undid my shirt in preparation for breastfeeding and this tumbled down into my lap. I'm not sure where it originated from; either on or in my shirt or possibly in my hair, as I'd been gardening earlier--but wherever it came from, it certainly made me jump. I'd like to say it's a caterpillar, but it looks more like a maggot to me. Yuck!

Cushions, hats, and other industry

This past weekend I finished the dog bed I started back in December. I do have a picture of it, but it's downstairs and I can't be bothered right now. It has an inner cushion and a removable cover (with piping!--my first piping attempt, while not a roaring success, was at least not a dismal failure) for washing. I've been saving my fabric scraps, thread and yarn ends, holey socks, and dryer lint for several months; this is what it's stuffed with. As a result the cushion's heavier than if I'd used normal stuffing. This is a good thing: the dog can't pitch it out of her basket like she did with her former pillow. Hopefully she won't chew this one up too.

I also sewed a quick baseball cap for Franklin. We had one but lost it, and all his others are winter hats. I made it from cotton canvas, bias tape, and interfacing. Already he's had compliments from strangers. Actually, he gets a lot of compliments just for existing--I never realized how much people like babies, but when we're out together, I get approached by all sorts: women my age, grandmas, grandpas, dads, little kids... Anyhow, I liked making this hat so much I think I'll make another. The pattern is my own.

Busy bees that we are, Partner and I (mostly Partner) finally tore out the living room carpet. Half of it is now adorning our patio; the rest is cut into decent-sized strips, rolled up, and stacked in the garage. The plan is to use it over winter to keep the bare vegetable beds covered and weed-free. The now-exposed floorboards are actually pretty good looking, though they need scrubbing, sanding, and varnishing.

Just to prove that Franklin does indeed now sleep in his stroller while I garden, here's a picture. I just have to time my gardening activities for when he naps. Yesterday I took my books outside to study while he napped in the shade and was attacked by mad kamikaze aphids. It's impossible to brush them off without killing or horribly maiming them. But my garden is a better place without aphids, and if they commit suicide, all the better for me.

Lemon and red and nature

A few days ago I was just about to hop in the bath when Partner suddenly shouted "Blimey!" from the bedroom. I dashed over (in the nuddy, as they say), expecting another nightmare, but instead found him and Franklin hanging out the window (not literally) spellbound by nature's drama: a sparrowhawk had nabbed a fat pigeon on our lawn. I ran for the camera (still starkers); meanwhile the hawk flew its dinner to next door's garden. If you look closely, you'll see its orange eyes.

After the sunshine and warmth of April, May has disappointed. Apparently we are getting the average temperatures of February. No frost, luckily, but I'm not planting anything tender out just yet. I was tempted to plant out my nicotiana today--after all, it's nearly the middle of the month--but decided to wait just a little bit longer. My early potatoes have now sprouted (yay!); they were planted on Easter weekend, so I'm expecting to harvest them in the middle of June. Hopefully. I've never grown my own potatoes, though I assisted my dad with his when I was younger; he didn't grow early potatoes.

My rhododendron flowered! Frankly, I was expecting a bit more lemon and a bit less peach (the picture on the tag was decidedly lemony); no matter: it's a lovely color, and that bright yellow splash in the photo is a tulip. The tulips are in fact taller than the rhody.

I finished knitting the green and white baby cardigan and will take a picture of Franklin wearing it. I tried it on him, and though super-cute, it is a bit big. I'm kind of on a knitting spree now. I ordered some special yarn online and have started a new baby hoodie. Also in the works: a knitted red and black afghan. I'm hoping no one tells her this, but a very nice lady knitted me a lovely red cardigan a few years ago which I never really wore because it was HUGE. Seriously, it was big on Partner, and he's not exactly small-boned. I've begun unravelling it, and I can see the work she put into it--it's got beautifully intricate cables. I feel a little bit bad about it, but I will repurpose the yarn in my afghan. At least it's getting a new life.

My music video!

Friends, I want to share with you a project that is very special to me: "Hopscotch" music video. I've worked on it for about a year: I first came up with the concept in the summer of 2008, and then filmed it that fall, and edited it over the course of the following year. It has been ready and waiting for quite some months now, but the music track is still not finished, sadly. However, I can't wait any longer for my sound engineer (he's had a lot of personal issues get in the way, so I don't blame him), and am posting it online now. If I ever get the final music mix, I'll upload that, but until then, please watch:

http://www.youtube.com/user/how1she1sparkles#p/a/u/0/7ML65qHquBg

"Hopscotch" is an original song written by myself and my husband, and performed by members of my family during a Thanksgiving visit. On a previous visit, we had recorded film for a short movie which was to feature a pop song. Unfortunately, the film was unusable because of formatting problems and the project had to be abandoned. For the next visit, I envisioned writing and making a music video of that pop song from the first movie. I wasn't sure if my family would be on board (acting in a movie is one thing, but singing and dancing in a movie is completely different), but they threw themselves into it. It was a great experience and a fantastic way to spend time with the family. I'm only sad that two of my brothers were unavailable to appear in it.

I think it should become a family tradition that whenever we get together we make a film project; both times it brought us closer together and brings back wonderful memories. Here are some stills from the video:










On a different note: I've been keeping a personal blog of my experience as a parent, started back in July 2009 when I found out I was pregnant with Franklin, and have decided to make it public. I know most people won't find it that interesting unless they are closely related to me; I'm not that interested in blogs about other people's kids myself. However, I have enjoyed updating it and am happy to share it:

http://meandfranklin.blogspot.com