Modelling the Banner Pants

IMG_2920_1
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

The Banner is Pants

I made the LRHS banner fabric into some pants. I wish they were for me.

Done!

Summer Dress for Daphne
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

The Ikea fabric is now a dress for the Peanut. For anyone who is interested, the pattern is Burda 9708, and it is EASY. I will post another picture when she tries it on.

Mosquito Be Gone

Today at breakfast, my friend Ken bragged that he has only been bitten by mosquitos four times in his life. "They don't like me," he said smuggly, over his huevos rancheros. If this is true, Ken could become a bazillionaire and a hero to mankind if he could figure out a way to bottle and sell whatever he has that the mosquitos steer clear of.

The place where we ate breakfast was called the Divine Coffee shop. Ken's 7 year old son, Audie, calls it "the old lady restaurant." Everyone in there looked like they lived at Del Boca Vista with Mr. and Mrs. Seinfeld. Audie is funny. He hadn't seen us for a while, and on the way into the restaurant he said to Ken, "Well, it looks like we answered one question. Daphne is gonna have orange hair when she grows up just like on Scooby Doo."

On a completely unrelated note, I would like to informally poll the 2 or 3 readers I have left on the topic of putting on your shoes and socks. In my little family, one person puts on both socks before putting on both shoes (right sock, left sock, right shoe, left shoe). The other one puts a sock and shoe on one foot, then a sock and shoe on the other foot (right sock, right shoe, left sock, left shoe), thus throwing the world way out of balance and causing the first person to feel very uneasy. (FYI: The second person is not Daphne, as she rarely wears shoes at all.) Please tell me if you put YOUR shoes and socks on the right way, or the crazy way. Thanks.

Daphne Walks Part Two

Daphne Walks!

I have tried again to embed a YouTube video...please let me know if it works. Thanks!

Ikea = Danger

Today we went to Ikea. I could have gone crazy in there. Luckily, the Peanut started getting cranky so we had to leave. But not before I found a small duvet cover in the children's section for $7.99 made of this cute orange owl fabric, which is going to be made into a dress for Daphne if I ever have time to sew again.

It has rained and rained and rained. At least it isn't hot though.

It is not even 9:00, but I am going to bed. Friday night just ain't what it used to be.

Blogolution

My blog continues to evolve, but I am still not completely happy with it. I feel like I have to rush through everything I do these days. But, I will keep working on it until I get it the way I want it.

The embroidery hoop in the banner was my great grandma's (thanks Kathy). I think that's pretty cool. The yellow flowery fabric will most likely become Peanut Pants.

Tonight, Kev and I took the Forester for a drive to the lake. Then we went to Sonic and got root beer floats. For about an hour, it felt like we were on vacation. But I miss Daphne. She is a funny little baby.

By the way, she will be ONE year old two weeks from today. Unbelievable.

Dangit

Tomorrow I have to go to an all day conference about Asperger's Syndrome, and since I have to be there by 7:30am, I took the Peanut to spend the night with her g-ma and g-pa in Garland. My plan was to drop her off early, do some errands, and come home and have a little time to do something fun. But it is already 4:15, and I just finished all the errands and whatnot and the day is almost over. Oh well. Do you think it would be rude if I knit during the conference tomorrow?

Mommy's New Wheels

I heart my Subaru Forester!

Friday

Well, the blue Buick is no more. That means the weekend will be spent not doing fun things, but going to look for a new car for me. I hope we find something. I have been without a car since last Friday, and it is a drag. Thanks to my parents for coming to help me out so I could do errands and stuff.
We are supposed to be at play group right now, but Daphne just went down for a nap, so we'll probably miss the whole thing. I was looking forward to it, too. It was going to be outside, and it is a rare nice day...not too hot.
I am addicted to flickr and have joined three sewing/crafting groups. It is fun to see other people's projects. I get inspired.
My friend Emily and I are working on getting the "selling stuff" idea going. It is going to be fun even if we don't sell anything.
I had a nice Mother's Day. Daphne is a good little baby. She can say "daisy." It is cute.
I think I'll go do something else now. Have a good weekend.

Fun with Pork Products

Please do yourself a favor and go read Fooie's newest post about the bacon viking.

http://mindsquirt.blogspot.com/

Ch-ch-ch-changes

As you can see, I am monkeying around with my blog, trying to customize it and make it a happier place. It will not stay like this, but it will take me a while to get it like I want it, so don't be surprised if it's a little different every day.

Also, I am thinking about making some stuff and putting it in an on-line shop at etsy.com. I will not even pretend that I am not telling you this just because I am hoping that now you will leave encouraging comments. I am generally really not much of a go-getter, so I need all the help I can get.

Happy Mother's Day

Baby Ducks!
Originally uploaded by Tara H..

And if you are feeling overwhelmed and tired like I do sometimes, think about this poor mommy...she's got eight babies.

Upside Down Peanut

Upside Down Peanut
Originally uploaded by Tara H..

Peace

Peace
Originally uploaded by Tara H..

Thank Goodness!

I noticed this seal on my paper bags from Central Market. Is there really a paper bag council? How do you get on it? If that is your job, do you actually tell people?
After noticing this on my CM bags, I checked a bag from Whole Foods. No seal! Not only is Whole Foods more expensive than Central Market, they send you home with sub-par bags. Hmm.

TV Rant

One of the mommies in my playgroup emailed us all this from the Today Show or somewhere:

Children of all ages are constantly learning new things. The first 2 years of life are especially important in the growth and development of your child's brain. During this time, children need good, positive interaction with other children and adults. Too much television can negatively affect early brain development. This is especially true at younger ages, when learning to talk and play with others is so important.
Until more research is done about the effects of TV on very young children, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does not recommend television for children age 2 or younger. For older children, the Academy recommends no more than 1 to 2 hours per day of educational, nonviolent programs.
http://www.aap.org/family/tv1.htm

Apparently it was all over the news yesterday that we should stop letting our babies watch ANY TV at all. No Baby Einstein, no Sesame Street, nothing. With all due respect to the experts, I think it's a bunch of hooey. I feel I am qualified to say this as:

• a licensed and certified Speech-Language Pathologist
• a parent of a baby who watches TV
• a former baby who watched TV

My kid loves TV. She is 11 months old. Sometimes in the morning if the TV is off, she points to it, says "On?", looks at me, and does the sign for "please." That is pretty sophisticated stuff for a baby who has suffered from tv-induced developmental neurological damage.

Here's the thing. Once again, we seem to be looking for something to blame for what is actually poor parenting. TV is like everything else. You have to use some common sense. Don't stick your baby in front of the TV all alone and ignore them all day. Don't let them sit around watching Cops and Pants Off Dance Off. But if you need to make dinner, it is not going to hurt them to watch Blue's Clues for 20 minutes while you cook.

The thing that can REALLY negatively affect early brain development is lack of human interaction and stimulation. If you want your baby to learn language, talk to them. It's as simple as that, provided, of course, that they have normal neurological functioning to begin with. Talk about what you are doing. Talk about what they are doing. Talk about the dog across the street. Talk about what Cookie Monster is doing on TV. Read books to them from day one, and tell them about the pictures. Then, give them some quiet time to play by themselves, process things, and learn about the world.

The reason this makes me so mad is that I know that there are some very nice and well-meaning young moms out there who are going to fear that they've scarred their babies for life because they thought Baby Einstein was OK and let them watch it because they didn't know until yesterday the evil it was doing. Now they will take their babies and hightail it out of any place within 100 yards of a television set, wring their hands, and try as hard as they can to undo the damage. What have I done, what have I done!?

I was awake for two hours in the middle of the night thinking about how mad this makes me.

Chillin' with Joe

G.I. Joe decided to take it easy today, but he has his pistol displayed and ready in case Gumby tries anything funny.

Monday is Pants Day!

So, here are the two pairs of pants I made today. I really love the butterfly ones, but the denim ones need help because of this morning's iron-on disaster (see post below). Please feel free to let me know if you have some ideas on how to save the denim pants. Other than the messed up decal, they are fine.

Naptime

This morning I was lulled into a false sense of having a smooth day. After breakfast, I took the baby for a short walk, and then she played by herself nicely while I worked on making her some pants. Aaahh! "I can do stuff while the Peanut is awake," I thought to myself. Pants are an easy 30 minute project, and I finished them up no problem. These ones are plain denim, and I decided they needed a little personality, so I got out an iron-on patch I found in the clearance aisle at Michaels and began applying it, carefully following the directions on the package. That's when the wheels started to come off, slowly at first, but gaining momentum until there were wheels flying dangerously about the house in all directions. First, only half of the iron-on patch adhered to the pants, so they look ridiculous. I couldn't peel off the part that DID stick, so I will need some kind of new patch to put over it. So much for 50-cent iron-ons. Then, as I was trying to figure out a plan to save the pants, I noticed that while I was busy with pant-making, the baby had pooped a huge gross poop that was by now all over her clothes. So I went to change her diaper, and mid-change I ran out of wipes, so I had to wrestle the baby and keep her feet up (she wanted them down) so the poop didn't get all over the table, while trying to open a new package of wipes, which requires two hands, and trying not to say any cuss words.
I have recovered now. The baby is napping, and I've had my lunch, and after re-reading what I've written so far, I realize it wasn't really so bad. Still, I think I am going to get a pieice of my Easter chocolate and go sit in my chair for a few minutes.

Best Day Ever

I got a balloon! I got a balloon!

Tara Ingalls Wilder?

On more than one occasion recently, GG has commented that I would have been a good pioneer, and although this is very flattering, I feel I must set the record straight. So here is why I would make a terrible pioneer:

• I do not like to lift heavy things
• I do not like bugs of any kind
• I do not like dirt, especially if it is on me. I particularly do not like dirt on my hands or feet
• I have a very narrow window of comfort. Over 76 is too warm, below 67 I get chilly. That does not even factor in wind or humidity.
• I would rather starve than have to kill and skin my own chickens
• Indoor plumbing is a must
• Where would I plug in my sewing machine?*

So, as you can see, my enjoyment of knitting and sewing and birdwatching and baking pies and so forth makes me more of a square old lady than a pioneer. But that's OK with me.

*(There are many more reasons, which I am sure the people who know me well would enjoy telling you about, but they probably shouldn't so they don't get in trouble. )

Go Joe!

It was recently both Easter and Kev's and my anniversary (4 years). We don't really do anniversary gifts. We usually just go out somewhere. This year we went to Cafe Madrid, which might very well be my favorite restaurant in Dallas. It has great Tapas, and as we found out this time, delicious desserts. Go there if you can. Get stuff that has manchego cheese on it. You will not regret it.

For Easter, we usually give each other a small basket of stuff, and this year, among the fancy mustards and Walker's shortbread cookies that are staples in Kev's basket, he got a GI Joe. Not the new crummy one, but the original GI Joe, with fuzzy hair and kung-fu grip. Kev keeps Joe on the computer desk, and sometimes when I come in to check email, I will find Joe in a different pose. It gives me something to look forward to. His current pose is pictured above.

In my Easter basket, I got the usual supply of chocolate to get me through until my birthday, and some bird post-it notes, and this gift certificate (below) to my favorite yarn store! Isn't it pretty? I can't bring myself to open it and ruin the wrapping job. It came with a little chocolate sheep. Nice touch. Kev is cool for going into the yarn store to buy it. He's probably the only straight guy besides the mailman to ever go in there. I need to decide on my next project so I can go buy some yarn.

Kev took the Peanut to New York for Easter to visit his family. She had a great time with aunts and uncles and cousins and dogs and Kev's mom and dad. I stayed home. Four whole days by myself. I spent most of the first day crying/worrying, but once they called to let me know they had arrived safe and sound, I began a sewing frenzy not to be believed. I made 2 skirts for myself, an apron, a skirt for Daphne, the re-cycled fruit skirt from the other blog, a tote-bag, and a few t-shirts. It was fun. But what I should have done was relax. Because by the time they got back, I was exhausted.

I lack the ability to relax at home. If I am home, there are things to be done, so I can't justify not doing them. I have to actually be removed from home to a place with nothing to do if I am going to do nothing but relax. I think the last time this happened was on the cruise I went on with my mom and aunts a couple years ago. When you are stuck out at sea, you can't really have a sewing frenzy.

I am going to have to work on this, because I am pretty keyed up most of the time, and I don't see a whole lotta cruises in my future. Step one is making myself go sit in my chair at least once a day. I think I'll do it now. I'll lament about the Mavericks first play-off game some other time.

Go look at the nice furniture Fooie made...it's on his blog. I envy his woodworking skills.

Going through the tunnel...Not sure I like it

Going through the tunnel...Not sure I like it
Originally uploaded by Tara Holt.

Green Baby

This is a picture of the Peanut back in August of 2006 wearing her beautiful fruit halter dress that her daddy bought for her. Sadly, it did not fit her for very long, and at her age, she could only lie around in it or be propped up for a quick picture. So, in honor of Earth Day 2007, I re-fashioned her fruit dress into the skirt you see below, which will probably fit her for a while. I am hoping it will fit her long enough for her to learn to twirl around in it. When she outgrows it, a square of it will go into a quilt I am planning to make with my favorite first-year outfits. Also in the spirit of recycling, the watermelon shirt was made by using some of my scrap fabric to applique onto a onesie. Go Team Earth! See, the baby is even cheering!

When Camels Cry

The closest movie theater to our house is the Angelika, so we see a lot of "art" films. It's pretty hit or miss with these movies. Some are great, but many are awful - trying too hard to be quirky or smart or surreal or whatever. A couple of years ago,, though, we were lucky enough to see The Story of the Weeping Camel, which is one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen. Last week it was on the IFC, so we recorded it and watched it again. I think I liked it even more the second time, maybe because I have a baby now. Anyway, I looked it up, and it is on IFC a couple of times during the day next Wednesday. I HIGHLY recommend that you set your VCR, DVR, PVR, TIVO, or whatever you have and record this movie. You will NOT see any explosions, cool spy gadgets, or long and drawn-out car chases. It is a slow, calm movie. There are sub-titles. You have to pay attention. But if you don't like it, I'll be shocked. So next Wednesday, put the kids to bed, get yourself a cup of hot tea and a cookie, put on your housepants and get your quillow (if you are lucky enough to have one), and watch this movie. You will go to bed relaxed and happy and wishing you lived in a yurt.

(Look it up on Wikipedia for more info).

Pretty Things

Some of you might remember a couple of years ago when Kev got me this chair for my birthday (http://housepants.blogspot.com/2005/08/hello-37.html#comments) It is more than just a piece of furniture. It is a Tara Place. A place where I could sit and read or write or think about making various pants or whatever I wanted to do. My own little spot in our house. I love my chair, but I hardly ever get to sit in it these days. I am going to try to spend more time there. I think it would be good for me. Anyway, this is a picture of the chair, but as you can see, something about the worn-out salmon-colored pillow from Kev's batchelor days detracts from the whole idea of it being a Tara Place.

I like pretty things. Flowery stuff. Lace. Girly-girl things. They makes me feel happy. Sometimes, I think there aren't enough pretty things in my life. Like on Monday. So I made this pillow for my chair. Aaaaahhh. Much better, huh? I am going to go sit there right now.

(When I say girly, I mean simple girly, not extreme girly).

Paloozahead Peanut

http://www.paloozahead.com/25357-e64d

click link for silliness.

Pantsapalooza

You may recognize this fabric from the pile I got at the antique store the other day. Some of it, as you can see, is now pants for the Peanut. I used Simplicity 3941 which was in the Sewing for Dummies section of the pattern book, so the pants were REALLY easy to make. I knocked them out in about 45 minutes. I used the 18 month size though, so they are too big, and Daphne will have to wait to wear them later. I am going to make some more in the 12 month size in the meantime. This opens up all sorts of pants possibilities. I can make her some housepants. I can make her some plain denim pants and stick groovy patches on them or I can embroider them. I can put ribbon or lace trim on the bottoms of the legs of some pants. I have a lot of pant-making plans in the works. I'm having a hard time thinking about anything else.

Map

Here is the floating England weather map I was talking about. I think it is gone now.

I started sticking bows in the Peanut's hair recently so people would stop thinking she's a boy, but now she has figured out how to get them out and I'm afraid she'll eat them.

Twister

We spent some family time in the bathroom last night as tornados blew through the Metroplex. Normally I don't get too worried about this stuff, but last night the warning sirens went off, so I figured it was pretty serious. So we all gathered in the bathroom for a little while, lit some candles, and Kev entertained us with some ukulele. It was almost kinda fun.

The weather reporters around here get all excited when there is anything going on, so they sort of tend to blow everything up. I don't mind, really. Better to err on the safe side. But it drives Kev crazy.

Kev said last night that if he was the weatherman, he would wear a costume. I thought he meant like he'd come dressed as the weather of the day, like he'd show up in a cloud suit, or a big lightning bolt. But it turns out he meant he'd dress up like Napoleon or George Washington or people like that. It would be pretty good schtick actually. I'd watch.

When I was in England, the national weather was delivered by a guy in Liverpool who stood on a giant map of England that was floating near the docks on the Mersey. He would hop around the floating England and tell what the weather was like in various parts of the country. I'd like to see Kev do that on a US map floating in the Mississippi in his Mark Twain suit.

Anyway, we didn't have a tornado after all.

Blog Backlog

Dang. I have so much to blog about and so little time. I wanted to blog about my Big Weekend of T-Time Sewing Extravaganza, and our Palo Pinto Easter-versary celebrations, and various Peanuty bits and pieces, but something always gets in the way of my blogging time. I will try to get back to it soon. I am sad to say that nobody else seems to be doing much blogging lately either. Except for Fooie (http://mindsquirt.blogspot.com/ ), and you should all go read his latest blogs because they are funny (cuss-word warning).

Here is a quickie from me. Today I took the Peanut for a stroll down to the local antique store, and pictures are my findings: A cool ukulele book for Kev (above), and a stack of pretty vintage fabrics for me (below). Don't know what I'll use them for yet. Something pretty for Daphne I reckon.

I am sad that the great Kurt Vonnegut has passed away. Read his stuff. It is genius.

I have found a new radio station for when I need a break from talk radio. It is The New Movin' 107.5. It plays stuff like Prince and Madonna and cool old hip-hop, and some bad stuff in between. I finally heard the Holla Back Girl song. I didn't really get it. She's going along OK, and then starts spelling banana. She lost me there. Nice beat though.

April 5, 2003

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY KEV!!!!!

Summertime

To celebrate what we have left of spring, I took the Peanut to the Arboretum today. It is getting hot, so I decided to put on sandals in spite of the sorry state of my feet (so neglected and unsightly!), and short pants, in spite of the fact that my legs, which haven't seen the light of day for several years, might reflect the sun and possibly blind some innocent Arboretum patrons. "I will get some sun!" I thought. And I need to if I plan to wear the $19.98 orange Anthropologie skirt on Saturday night. Well, I don't think I got much sun, so I'll have to go check my cabinets for some sun-in-a-bottle, left over from a couple summers ago. (Will it still work? Does it expire?) What I DID get, though, was a giant blister from my sandals, which is a drag not only because it is painful, but also because it is going to shoot the wheels off my plans to finally cash in a pedicure gift certificate I got for Christmas. I was going to do it on Friday. Dangit. With all that said, the Arboretum is beautiful and we had a great time. Daphne likes the waterfalls and fountains best.

SCORE!

Yesterday I went to the mall with my mom and the Peanut and look what I found! It is a cool orange skirt from Anthropologie, and it was only $19.98! (Original price a whopping $88.00!) I am going to wear it Saturday night because Kev and I are going out to celebrate our anniversary. I wish it matched the sweater I made. I love finding a bargain.

Inner Tulip

This is what you see if you get as close as you possibly can to the inside of a tulip.

Cedar Waxwings at the Arboretum

Cedar Waxwings at the Arboretum
Originally uploaded by Tara Holt.

Cedar Waxwings are cool looking birds. These are ones we saw at the Arboretum a couple weeks ago. I am testing sending photos to my blog from my flickr page.

Mall Walking

Today is a kind of yucky day, so I took the Peanut to the mall to stroll around. She is sleeping it off, and I am blogging. Every time I go to the mall, I stroll through Anthropologie. http://www.anthropologie.com/jump.jsp?itemID=0&itemType=HOME_PAGE

Do you have this store at your mall? They have the most awesome clothes. Especially skirts.

As I stroll through Anthropologie, this is what I say in my head:

Seventy-eight dollars! I could make that. Fifty-six dollars! I could make that. A hundred and thirty nine dollars! I could make that.

And so forth.

It is time, my friends, to get out my machine and do some sewing.

The key to the stuff at Anthropologie is the fabric. I need to know where these people get their cool fabric. Then I could make all the stuff for way cheaper, and maybe I could finally be the modern urban mom I want to be. My orange shoes have just about had it. And they don't have them on the Lands End web-site anymore, so I can't replace them.

Daphne loves going to the mall. Her favorite things are the guy who plays the piano by the escalators at Nordstrom (he is fabulous), the big spouting fountains by La Madeleine, and the window at Puzzle Zoo toy store which has a giant Big Bird, and other huge stuffed animals. She looks at it and squeals with delight. All the people at the mall like her red hair. I do too. She is a good little baby.

Tulips

Last year, Kev got me some tulip bulbs, which I planted. They came up last spring, and were really pretty, but all the experts assured us they wouldn't return this year. Since we have mild winters, tulips are more like annuals here. But against all odds, I have a flower bed full of tulips, and not only did they bloom, but some of them even multiplied. So there, you so-called experts!. If not for all the dandelions and other pesky weeds, my little flower bed would be lovely.

Exciting LRHS News Alert

If you entered the LRHS logo design contest but didn't win, your exciting parting gifts will be shipping out today or tomorrow, so watch your mailboxes for fabulous prizes.

Hmmmmm....

Knitting Rules

Project Number 4 is finally complete, and I am really proud of this one. I didn't think I could do it, but here it is: my first yarn sweater. Woo-hoo! The only trouble is, I soaked it in our bathroom sink, and it sorta smells like Kev's shaving cream.

Now, I just need a place to wear it...

Being the Butterfly

Stroller Brigade

Yesterday, our playgroup went to Dallas Blooms at the Arboretum for Mommy and Me Monday. There is Daphne in the middle, trying to take the toys off the kid's stroller next to her. She had a great time. There were kids to play with (steal from), goats, sheep, chickens, a pony, and nice soft grass to walk on.

New Blogger is Bad

Hell on Wheels

This weekend I busted out my roller skates at the Katy Trail. I pushed the stroller while Kev walked behind and took some very unflattering pictures that will never see the light of day. Daphne slept through the whole thing, and I had a blast in spite of fearing the public fall-down the whole time. My center of gravity has changed since my last roller skating adventure.

I need to make a roller skating song section in my iPod, and do this more often now that the weather is so nice.

PS. I got these roller skates for $19! They are Nike!

Field Trip

On Saturday, we took the Peanut to the zoo because it was nice out. Guess what. Most of the other people with babies in Dallas had the same idea. So it was kind of a beating. Crowded and hot...strollers everywhere. But we still had a good time, and Daphne liked seeing all the birds and animals. We took her on her first carousel ride, which she seemed to like. And she got to pet a chicken. It was cute. She was very gentle with the chicken. She fell asleep on the train on the way home, so we walked around the station until she woke up, and then had dinner at the Trinity Hall pub. Daphne likes lemons. She demands them back if we take them away. She's a funny little baby.

Pie at Last!!!

This morning my dad came over to play with the Peanut so I could cook some stuff. I made cream of wild mushroom soup, some meatballs (some to go with the sauce I made Monday, and some to freeze), and as you can see, I finally had a chance to use my new awesome apple peeler/corer/slicer gadget to make this apple pie. My house smells like Christmas in Italy. My dad said it is one of the best apple pies he's ever tasted, so thanks to him for watching Daphne so I could make it, and a very special thanks to Kev's mom for the recipe, and his sister for the awesome apple peeler/corer/slicer gadget. All y'all should get one of these gadgets. If you are worried that it is a one trick pony, you should know that it can also be used for potatoes and probably other stuff, but I haven't read the instruction booklet all the way through yet. Even if it DID only do apples, it's worth it for the pie. I will see if I can get permission from Kev's mom to post the recipe. It's really easy to make.

Rock On, Little Peanut

I will blog a real blog soon.

Good Stuff

Today at Central Market, I bought a big giant bag of Popcorn, Indiana brand Smoked Cheddar Kettle Corn, and let me tell you, this is some GOOD stuff. To find out where to get some, go to www.popcornindiana.com and it will tell you, and you will also see their cool tractor logo which would make a great t-shirt. Apparently, Popcorn, Indiana is a real place, 20 miles south of Bloomington. Perhaps my Kentuckiana cousins have been there. I would go there if I lived in Kentuckiana. Next, I am going to try BBQ flavor.

By the way, there is also a Santa Claus, Indiana. There used to be an amusement park there called Santa Claus Land, and we used to go there when I was little. I found out on the Travel Channel that it is now called Holiday Land, and that it won an award for "friendliest" amusement park, or something like that. Sorta like the Miss Congeniality of amusement parks I reckon. Anyway, maybe we'll take the Peanut there when she gets bigger.

The Travel Channel is lame. All it ever has are poker shows and shows about Las Vegas.

Problem Solved!

I think I have solved my halter problem without cutting. I made a crochet chain and weaved it through the back to use as a draw-string. Voila! Instant cinching! Tie it in a bow and go. Plus, it is adjustable and removeable, so maybe the Peanut can get a couple year's use out of it. This makes me so happy...I was really bummed out about the whole thing yesterday.

And the Winning Logo is...

So, yesterday, I printed out a sheet of paper with all the entries on it. Then I spent a long time staring at the sheet of paper with all the entries on it. Dang, this was a tough decision!

A lot of entries were ruled out because of details or colors that wouldn't be possible to screen, but then I had several really great entries left to choose from.

Finally, when I was trying to fall asleep last night, I made my decision:

The prize of a t-shirt and the honor of designing the official t-shirt of the LRHS goes to (drumroll) Kev for his very first entry, the Squippie Symbol: http://housepants.blogspot.com/2007/02/contestant-number-one.html#comments

I decided that while penguins and guitars and sock monkeys and owls and so forth are all single aspects of the LRHS, and all things I love, they all sort of fit under the squippie umbrella. And so, the squippie symbol best represents the overall spirit of the blog. Congratulations Kev!

With that said, there are so many good entries, that I promise you haven't seen the last of them. Plus, everyone who participated will be receiving exciting prizes in the mail (please be patient, it may take a few weeks for me to get my act together). Fooie, I need your address. Thank you all so much for entering my contest and reading this blog. Yay!

Knitting Semi-Success

This week, I knit this halter for the Peanut. I was so proud because it was quite a bit more challenging than the hats I've made, and as you can see in the picture, it is a really cute little halter. Here is the roblem: it is about 3 inches too big around, and to take the picture I had to cinch it up in the back with a clothespin. My friend Emily seems to think it can be fixed, but it is going to involve some cutting which is very scary with a knit piece, so we'll see. Anyway, live and learn. Stay tuned for tomorrow's big contest announcement!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLEACH AND BEAN!

Last Minute Entry

This last entry is from my cousin, Ben. Finally, one of my relatives comes through! Nice work Bean!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1. OK, all the entries are in. An official announcement will be made on Monday regarding the winner(s) .

2. Speaking of Bean, please visit his blog for an rare and exciting interview with the great LarryFeathers. http://beanblog.com/