Glossy Highlights

So we have friends visiting from Spain, along with their two kids, and Tank Boy is in seventh heaven!

He is also quite pleased with his NEW SOCCER UNIFORM, because evidently my son is already on his first team!

There has been much romping about the park, Strider Bike riding, and river splashing. That is until about four days ago, when it abruptly went from summer to fall in one night!


And you know what fall means to those who get a weekly veggie box?

FIGS! Yumm!

In Praise of Deadlines

You will never guess what I finally finished!

It only took me a mere 18 months!

The jury is still out on whether or not it fits The Hubsand, as I had only 15 minutes to spare in getting it to the County Fair committee today, and The Hub was running around getting his photo submission ready as well. So you may notice that the model is distinctly not he. I may also have stayed up until 3 am last night figuring out how to graft and seam the crazy patterns on this thing, but really don't want to admit that in public.

Hey ever wonder what the inside of a cabled sweater looks like?

Kind of a keerapy mirror image of the outside, huh? And notice all those loose ends? With approx 15 balls of yarn in this thing there were approximately 30 of those suckers to weave in on the inside!

Ever wonder what suziehulahoop looks like after a knitting marathon, no shower and little sustenance, while modeling a wooly sweater in 92 degree heat?

Alrighty, time to head back to Knitpicks and get the supplies for the next project!

The First Annual Gal's Backpacking Trip!

Everyone made it through with flying colors (and one with a slight fever!) Hope your Memorial Day rocked as hard as these here ladies!

Doing Things And Makin' Stuff...

So the fourth was wonderful here. Well, not here actually, but in Tahoe where we went. We got to stay in our usually rented house for the first time in 5 years or so, which was wonderful, despite the fact that there is no furniture, cooking utensils or other housewares. We got to see bazillions of friends, and their kids, so big and so wee! Tank boy got to go kayaking on Lake Tahoe with his Daddy and got to see his first fireworks, which he loved! (Which started an hour and a half after regular bedtime, eek!)

It all started out rather quietly for me, as The Hub took The Tank up two days earlier in the hybrid, while I logged in another two days at work. The quiet nights at home were a nice treat, taking full advantage I; battered and sauted up some local organic eggplant (yum!), did my new yoga video, and of course knit.





Then I caught the bus, to the train, to another bus, to yet another bus, to finally meet the family Truckee. Though this sounds complicated, it was all really UNstressful, as I was not traveling with a toddler, nor was I having to do the 5 hours of driving. So it was nap and knitville for me!

Truckee then was a whirl of Fourth celebrations (parades, picnics, open houses and lake splashing) and home improvement preparations. (The rental house master bath has been hurtin' for certain for years now.) But the Home Despot delivery should arrive there today and the contractor (slash old mountain biking buddy) starts work tomorrow! Aside from the cranky shouting match I initiated with the husband after wiping out in the Home Depot parking lot, skinning a knee, losing my son's helium balloon and flashing my panties to the general public, it was an awesomely fun AND productive weekend! Hope y'all had just as much fun, but slightly better traction!

Oh! And if you want to enter the easiest contest ever to win some yarn, go give KnittyK8 a book recommendation!

Out Of My Comfort Zone

Last weekend right as the thunderstorms hit CA, we took Tank Boy camping for the first time. I'm not a big "car camper", I admit, it seems silly to me to drive somewhere relatively close and pretend you don't have a house with a kitchen and a bathroom at your immediate disposal. (Backpacking is different, and so is camping as a cheap method of lodging...) Anywhoo, it was actually quite pleasant (after the quick rain, lightning and thunder passed) as we were camping in a Redwood grove with loads of other families that we knew. And Tank Boy loved it. One of the highlights for him was definitely this:

a lady bug swarm.

I did enjoy this:


and this:


Which was basically sitting on my rump with good friends and knitting. And speaking of knitting, I'm almost finished with this cute girlie sweater for my niece, shown here on a reluctant Tankster...


And backtracking to those thunderstorms, the Hoop family is lookin' into a move. I'm frankly a little freaked out by the fire danger here, the Hoop Ranch quite a ways from the nearest fire hydrant, surrounded by 6 acres of dry grass and brush, and at the top of a steep uncleared ridge. Eeep. We'll keep you posted, but send wet rainy thoughts our way in the mean time. Thanks!

Bears, Bikes, Bums, and Bidding Adieu

A friend of mine sent me this little awareness test thingy. You gotta give it a try and then come on back...

All I gotta say is its a good thing I'm on the bike! And speaking of bicycles, I've got some catching up to do! Two weekends ago I got to go on a girlie's weekend trip, for some road biking in the SF Bay Area. No one was more surprised than I to find out that the plan was to bike 80 miles in two days. 80 frickin miles!

And, unlike some of the other gals, this was pretty much "off the couch" for me. Which makes for a rotten sore bum. AND a great jump start on the bicycling season! So now the bike is out, she's tuned, air filled and ready to go, therefore I've started in on the once a week challenge. (Which I read about somewhere online, but now cannot find for the life o' me.) Anywhoo, I have officially biked to and from work one day a week, for two whole weeks! Woot woot! Its very good motivation to get out the door early, as it has been hitting the 90's here by midmorning. Phew!

And speaking of getting out the door, and therefore leaving, we are facing a sad day tomorrow. Tank Boy's best friend, T Man, is moving across the country. Poor Tankster has no idea what "moving away" means yet.

We love you, T Man and send you off with best wishes but heavy hearts.

A Wee Finished Object...

Only three weeks late for the baby shower!

Iridescent Viridescence

The holiday weekend couldn't have been more picturesque here in the Sierra Foothills. The Tankster participated in his second and third egg hunts of the season. I had one too many mimosas at the Saturday hunt and therefore didn't take one picture. But for those in the know, check out the Hub's page and you'll find a whole slew o pic's, many of which contain me and my drink in hand! Wheee!

On Sunday I was a bit more saintly, and managed to remember how to operate the old point n shoot! The Hub couldn't believe I was really planning on dressing our offspring in a baby blue seersucker shorts suit. But now that he's seen the pictures, he knows why parents dress their kids funny, because they are SO DAMN CUTE, that's why!



It was a gorgeous day at a friend's gramma's house where they've been holding the family egg hunt for over 35 years now. These folks are serious. They own 10 acres, and put out eggs for kids and young adults alike, with prizes that range from three jelly beans and two nickels to crisp $20 bills! They make up baskets of toys for the little kids and ALSO give out prizes after the egg hunt too! Its a win win win situation for all hunters!




By the end of the day, many participants were plum tuckered and ready for some serious lounging...



And on a similar greenery note, I would like to take a moment to document a stage in my son's life. He likes salads. Eats whole bowls. I'm not counting on this lasting long, nor on people believing me. So here it is, Tank vs. Salad, with salad losing big!

Heh Heh, She Said Keister!

Hello there! You'd think with all the sick, sitting-around-the-house I've been doing, I'd of gotten to the blog update sooner! Not so! The pesky thing about sickness is that it demands an astonishing number of hours of sleep. During good useable daylight hours! The nerve!

So despite the mind crushing sinus infection I've been enjoying, I muscled my way through my very first solo road trip since the Tankster arrived. I drove up to Tahoe for a bit of skiing, outlet shopping and (mainly) a baby shower, yay! It was such a great experience. That teeny tiny taste of your former life, that not only puts a spring in your step, but also shows how much you miss your family in two short days! (Remind me to show you the sparkly red patent leather ballet flats I got at 65% off!!)

Before the trip I'd been furiously knitting away at this...



...for the baby shower, but alas, it was still one sleeve and a collar shy of complete. But the baby still has another month before he's scheduled to arrive, so I might still make the REAL timeline! Lets hope...

This weekend I was finally feeling well enough to attempt the least athletic of all outdoor endeavors, gardening. Evidently our garden got sick of waiting for us to clean up last year's litter...



and was doing its best to make due!

Today was a funny day, as it was St. Patrick's Day, but also our weekly playgroup's early Easter celebration too. (Or Fecund Rites of Spring, for the un-Jesusy among us, like me.) So there was much green wearing, yet also the egg dye...



And the egg hunt! Notice Tank Boy clutching a found egg here. I was so proud of him, he even actually found one all on his own!



I can't express how cool this play group is, it is held at a completely enclosed playground with areas of both shade and sun, there is a pond nearby with very curious, mostly friendly, ducks and geese, and it is run by a local gramma who brings not only toys and buckets, but also a (relatively healthy) snack for all the kids! Today she also brought all the egg dye, towels, and paper bags to decorate for "baskets". I don't know of anywhere else, big city or small town, that has such a nice amenity! It makes us both very happy.



Happy Patric Keaster Day!

Vacay Recap

So we did make it back from vacation/sick leave! Sorry to leave all three of you hanging, we were only sick for 24 hours! Aside from the aforementioned illness the trip was lovely. It was warm and sunny in the beginning so we got to do some hiking...



Even lil' Tank Boy put in his fair share of foot travel!

And then it snowed! And before and after bouts of illness we all got out on some cross country skis!

Some parts were more exciting than others...


And for those of you in the know, The Hub's site has many more (and most likely better) pictures of all of the fun parts of the vacation! But alas, he won't let me link it here...

Remnants...

(Get it? Fiber arts joke there, heh heh.)

This morning my house was scattered with these pleasant reminders from my First Ever Stitch N Bitch! (Along with a completely unhealthy amount of spinach dip in the fridge, that I am most definitely NOT having for breakfast, lunch, and dinner today, ahem.) So not only was this my first SnB ever, but it seems to be the first in the area as well. (This decade at least...) Go Julie the Cruise Director!

It was lovely! There was wine and snacks and fibers galore! It made me so happy to actually have it happen that I didn't want to clean up the wineglasses, crust of crostini, and ball bands (ooo, that sounds dirty!). But seein' as I scoured the house before inviting the public in, it seems a picture will have to do.

I Really Shouldn't...

O Daylight Savings Hour Change how I hate thy ways
for clocks they make no difference in a tiny tot's full days.
He's sleepy before dinner, and wakey afore dawn
and at his wee and piteous cries I am but a lowly pawn.
His digestion is all wonky, it doesn't know the math
and therefore found him dropping deuce, while splashing in the bath!

Vacation Smorgasbord

So we were only gone a week and a two days, but looking at these pictures I'm not surprised I'm exhausted! There were many other lovely events not even pictured! Including visits with Lovely Lisa, Mr. Bennett, and the trip out to Grampa's house. And yes, we are each wearing two different outfits at the Faire, as we totally indulged and went TWICE! Yay us! (You may have to let the slide show run through a few times first, for some reason it takes a few tries to get through the whole thing on my computer.) On with the show!



While we were out there Tankster learned two new tricks. One was to give kisses! So cute it almost melted my heart. And the other is the "solo slider" from above, he can now go up the stairs and come down the slide on his own! And then the day after we got back he started feeding himself food out of a bowl with a spoon! So Big! Ok, off to nap. Hope y'all are enjoying your fall almost as much!

Just Like Campbell's Soup Is...

Evidently rocks are too. Mmm mmm good that is. Or at least to the 15 month old palate. Yep, that's right, Tankster ate a rock this morning. We talked to the doc, and he is completely unconcerned. We, on the other hand, get to inspect the next three day's stool to ensure it leaves his system. And frankly, that prospect is worth more than a bit of concern...

Small Victories

SV#1
So you know that drawer, or cabinet, or sac that everyone has where they stash the almost unavoidable accumulation of plastic grocery bags? I would like to state for the record that as of right now, I am no longer in possession of any of the above! I feel that I have slayed the modern cabinet dragon of petroleum product consumption! Yay Me, er, us, er Tank Family. I have always tried to be a schlepper of cloth grocery bags, but now that we are getting the weekly (organic! local!) veggie box (which is housed in a little rubbermaid tub that we return for the next week) there is even less opportunity for forgetting and getting stuck, er... um... holding the bag, as it were. And I get to try exciting cooking experiments, such as "what the heck is this okra crap and what on earth am I going to do with it?" And you know, more than half the time, the answer is fry it in butter. Hard to go wrong with that!

SV#2
Little Tank has been a bit fussbudgetty for a few days, culminating in a refusal to nap at day care yesterday, and we figured out why last night. His fifth tooth has just come in, and it looks like number six is hot on its heels. Yay Tankster!

SV#3
And finally... I have now officially found two other local women who are willing to go do this with me. Yay us!

Not currently a victory, but a project in the works: I have decided to try and rally enough local women to do a hoop group in the Labor Day Parade. So far I have lots of nibbles on the line, but I am still a bit shy of the quota for fish in the basket. Wish me luck, or better yet, come on out and join me!

A Haircut. Literally One Hair.

So wee li'l Tank got his first haircut this weekend. Not that he was in danger of turning into Cousin Itt, but he was a bit fluffy on the sides... It was a rather silly affair, with Moms trying to hold him relatively still, while Pops tried to distract and document at the same time, and our poor little hottie hair stylist had just been in a car wreck and was in a fashionable neckbrace with limited mobility!

Breaking News!

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Friday to bring you this! (Which is probably sideways because I can't remember in the heat of the moment to only take video horizontally, and YouTube isn't quite finished processing it yet so I can't check, and even if I did, and it was, I still don't know how to fix the issue...
(li'l help here, anyone? Anyone?))

Look closely, there's three distinct steps in there, wiggly but strong! OMG!

Fevers, Falls, and Fainting!

Its been a tough week for health here at the Hoop Ranch. First, the boys came down with a fever, and much couch napping ensued...
Fortunately it only lasted about 24 hours, which I highly recommend, if you have to get sick. Then two days later I came down with something seemingly unrelated entailing a swollen throat, low fever and monstrous headache. Here's where it gets bad...

Tuesday evening while we were unloading groceries and our (local! organic! weekly!) veggie box, somehow Tank took a digger and cut his wittle eyebrow on the heater grate on the floor. And let me tell you facial cuts are bleeders!

Now I had spent most of that day in bed due to said throat and head, but adrenaline kicked in when my offspring got wounded. I jogged off to get a clean washcloth to put pressure on his noggin. We made the quick decision to pop down to the hospital and see if our tot needed a stitch or two. Within seconds we were loaded in the car and Poppa was driving us to the local Dr.

And then the adrenaline wore off. And I sort of passed out. Tunnel vision, rushing in the ears, all that. Debated throwing up. Decided it would be a bad thing. Poor Poppa up front now figured he was driving us both to the hospital. So anywhoo, the tot would have gotten stitches if they still did that these days, but with modern technology and all they just crazy glued the little guy back together. I laid in the back of the subaru until I felt well enough to walk in to the hospital and get some water. We all survived and are at home, held together with a little glue.

You Say Its Your Birthday!

Well, the little dude turned one. I can't believe it. I still think of him as tiny, then I see these pictures and he's ginormous. We had a wonderful party here at the homestead, good friends, good food, and happy babies everywhere! It couldn't have been nicer. Then to top it off, the next day we spent a gorgeous day at an incredible beach. Sometimes life does not suck.



Now that he's a big one year old, Tank is practicing a lot of standing unsupported. He gets so proud of himself, he makes sure you see him and then giggles and waits for praise. We even coaxed and goaded him into taking his first step, because we didn't want it to happen at daycare without us! He's not quite ready to run the sub 4 minute mile, but he is... umm literally... taking the first steps! Yay big Tankster!