The (fill in the blank) old days.

I think there might be a few bleaders that have been with me since the very beginning of this here bloggerino. Perhaps they've all headed out yonder in search of greener, more interesting, more frequently updated pastures...but there might be one or two people around who remember what the old D.P was like before I had a camera.

Long rambling essays about my life as a cubicle rat, occasional teasing references to knitting projects, either begun or completed...

Well now the newbies are going to get a chance to enjoy picture free piracy as well. I think the camera fell off the couch one too many times, since now it only takes blurry pictures. There are about a bajillions things on the list that clock in before "buy a new camera for the express purpose of taking pictures of my knitting projects to post for strangers on the blog," boring things like keeping our gas and electricity on, and keeping up on the mortgage payment, so it will probably be a good long time before illustrated piracy is back on the map.

Of course I can always take crappy cell phone pictures, so it won't be totally barren...but...yeah, crappy cell phone pictures.

Enough whining, on to the content.

So I have to say that Ms. NancyAnne's feisty comment about holding me to my 12 month promised raised a bit of the viking in me. Oh yeah? Oh yeah, well you know how many things I've finished in the last month?

Three, and one of them had buttons on it.

With one more to be completed today, and possibly another by the end of the week. That's five things missy. Of course I could say 12 because I have no photographic evidence at the moment, but suffice to say I am feeling pretty cocky about adding a whole bunch of new projects to the queue.

And double besides, I only have 4 takers so far, so that's even more doable.

My first thought was to knit everyone false mustaches, in styles that I felt suited their personalities. My second was to search around in the unfinished object bin and find half knit things that suited their personalities. My third, of course, was to play by the unspoken rules and start a new projects, start to finish. I wonder who's going to win? My angel, my devil, or my inner mustache lover. Feel free to drop broad hints on your blogs about what you might be hoping for...oh and Andi? It's all piratey baby.

Ragnar...photo free yo.

Toddlersaurus Rex

Everyone knows that parenting is about insanity, right?

It is insane that I can get pelted in the face with balls day after day, hour after hour and still have a warm fuzzy feeling when I look at my son.

It is insane that my 18 month old is getting is two-year molars in already.

It is insane that I sleep with a 30 pound baby on my chest night after night.

It is insane that I read this over on handknitter's blog and thought "Oh, what a great idea. I love that. I'm totally doing that."

So here be it:

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make.
- What I create will be just for you.
- It'll be done in the next 12 months.
- You have no clue what it's going to be.
- I reserve the right to do something unusual.

The catch? You have to put this in your blog as well. Pass on the love!

That's the text as appears on Sarah's blog. I'm clarifying a couple of points. Firstly the item will not necessarily be knit. I'm a crafty ho, you know, it could be...I don't know, made out of chewing gum and Popsicle sticks. I also want to point out the specification that you have to post this on your blog...that means only people who blog are illegable. I'm not running some hand-made gift charity thing here. You gots to reciprocate.

And yes, Ragnarson is manically destroying my house, manifestly refuses to nap, thinks the phrase "no hitting" is the funniest thing he's ever heard, and wants to be held, by me, for 24 hours per day. This is probably why I think adding 5 more items to me (shrinking! yes) to do list is a perfectly wonderful idea.

Ragnar...can you feel the crazy?

Note: Although there are now more than five comments, there are not 5, valid, willing, blogging comments, so it's still open...come on people, it's going to be pretty sad if I can't find 5 people who want me to make them something.

Strange noise....

I just spent 10 minutes trying to track down the source of a strange noise. It was sort of a chirppy, high pitched sort of cheeping noise. I thought at first that it was an alarm on my roommates' cell phone and thought about breaking into their room to turn it off.

Then I thought it was a squeak in my CD player, but when I put my ear against it, it was apparent that it wasn't coming from there either.

Finally I opened the backdoor and realized that it was a bird sitting on the neighbors tree.

Spring...come soon, I've been stuck in side for so long, I've forgotten that birds sing in the morning.

Oy.

Ragnar...cabin fever is my middle name, baby.

PS...looking for test knitters for the Viking Hat, both Baby/Toddler Sized and Adult. Email to jessyhenderson(at)geeemail(dot)com. Thanks

Very helpful.

Ragnarson has developed a very "helpful" streak. It's been building for awhile now. He loves the broom, and will get it out of the closet and push it around for minutes at a time (a long span of activity for him).

A few days ago I heard a strange squashing sloshing noise and realized I hadn't closed the bathroom door. Running to the bathroom, because squashing and sloshing + baby could equal mess of unrecordable proportions I found that Ragnarson was plunging the toilet, lovely.

He also loves the snow shovel, and likes to push around any snow that makes it up onto our porch (not as much as used to, since we have nice overhangs now). Several times he has completely cleared the deck, neatly enough that Manimal remarked once upon coming home: "you shoveled the porch!" No, no, that would be your 18 month old son.

And then there is the not so helpful tool using side of his nascent personality. A few minutes ago I caught him using his toybox as a step stool. He had reached up onto the counter and liberated the butter from it's tray, holding it in his left hand while picking chunks off with his right and eating them. Ugh.

So far we are "gate free" at the new house, except for one on the front porch, which essentially turns the whole thing into a big outdoor playpen. I'm trying to teach him the phrase "Make noise outside." Won't our neighbors be thrilled that we are back.

Ragnar...go play outside!

Resolutions revisited....

I did want to read some Austin.

Ragnar...I love me some classics...and brains.

How lazy can you get?

Someone on facebook tagged me for this Meme, and I sort of vaguely remember being tagged for something sort of like it about a year ago...so I'm doubling up.

You all can consider yourself tagged.

25 Random things about me, that I'm sure you really wanted to know, really.

Baa, I'm a sheep, baa.

1. I embrace the "womanly" arts. Cooking, knitting, spinning, hell I'm even known to embroider on occasion. I try to do it with enough attitude that it becomes a feminist commentary.
2. I hate talking on the phone.
3. Whenever I do one of these "talk about yourself" things, I end up writing answers that are way too long and full of needless exposition.
4. Knitting is my meditation.
5. When I was pregnant I thought I would be the type of mom who's kid had a few nice high quality toys, hand made by little Gipetto type woodcarvers. Turns out I'm the kind of mom who gives her kid whatever plastic crap he wants, if it will gain her a moments peace.
6. I have a stainless steel problem. Especially bowls. At a rough estimate I have approximately 30 of them in various sizes. (Actually I just counted them, I have 34.)
7. In the last two years I've started four separate knitting projects with the exact same shades of eggplant purple and lime green. I didn't realize this until I started cataloging all of my unfinished projects. Mittens, a sweater, and felted bag and cant' remember what the 4th one was.
8. Since we moved into the New House, I've been making my bed everyday. I think this is a sign of maturity.
9. Every year on my birthday I turn 30. For awhile we referred to it as my (fill in the blank number) annual 30th birthday party, but I've lost track and I honestly can't remember how old I am without subtracting from the year that I was born. Oh yeah, I remember. I'm 30, so much for maturity.
10. I'm really really excited about gardening this summer.
11. I started my blog because I didn't have the guts to quit my job...now that I don't have a job I barely ever blog.
12. My favorite color is orange.
13. My pirate/skull obsession started as joke.
14. I am always a little self conscious when I am pushing a stroller. They seem so big and awkward, and I wonder if I look like one of those yuppie moms that push their kids around the mall. It doesn't help that my stroller is a "jogging" stroller.
15. When I cook an animal I try to save one of their bones. This only applies to whole or almost whole animals. For birds it's usually the wish bone. When I roasted a lamb I saved a couple of vertebrae.
16. I've avoided smoking cigarettes because I'm sure that I will become hopelessly addicted to them and become a pack a day smoker overnight...people who know about my relationship with caffeine know that I am not exaggerating.
17. I wish I could play a musical instrument.
18. I don't own a television...but sometimes I check out television shows from the library, so that I can see what everyone else is talking about.
19. I love, love, love my dishwasher, and my rice cooker. I just made my first loaf of bread in a bread maker...I must be getting old. The next thing you know I'll be buying a microwave.
20. I just roasted my first turkey. It turned out GREAT!
21. Petoskey makes me laugh, even when I'm not in a laughing mood.
22. I am learning to like squash.
23. Even though I have a pretty good voice, I am embarrassed whenever anyone hears me singing.
24. The next thing I want to figure out, as far as cooking goes, is what to do with a whole fish. The Oriental Mart where we shop always has big piles of fish with their heads and eyes and everything and I'm too intimidated by them to buy any. They also have shrimp with the heads still on. Maybe I should start there, not so many bones.
25. Sometimes I wish I could wear girly stuff like high heeled shoes and make-up without feeling completely ridiculous. The combat boots with a skirt thing looks okay now, but it's going to be pretty odd when I'm 60.

Now go and randomly type things about yourselves. No really, people really read these things. Really.

Ragnar...totally loving her new house. The camera broke, or I'd post some pictures of all our crap cluttering up the place.