Thank You x 10 (at least)

I love mail. I don’t even mind the grocery ads that come every Wednesday anymore. The boys are my mail retrievers when I come home from work in the evening, and that tends to make things an exciting adventure when they help. Unexpected mail is even better, good, unexpected mail, in a big box.

That very thing greeted me at the front door when I came home today, and the unexpected return address gave me butterflies.

Here is what was inside:

Nine squares and an expert join from ten people I have never met, but I’m lucky to have friended on a knitting website. A huge heartfelt thanks to Julie, Aryn, Jen, Leslie, Lisa, Irene, Melissa, Susan, Hanna and Bobbi! I’m overwhelmed with this wonderful surprise and so thankful for your generosity. Its perfect, its just what I wanted and didn’t know I needed, and its handmade (I think this is my first handknit gift from anyone that wasn’t part of a swap)! I thank you for all the planning that went in to this and the time you spent to knit for me.

I’m sorry I couldn’t get all the squares in one photo during the daylight, but I’m positive it will be in many photos to come. A truly wonderful gift for our new baby. The boys were very excited…they’re still wondering when, if ever, I’m going to unzip my belly button and let the darn baby out.

Thank you so much ladies! Courtney and Baby D #3 (and Steve and Tito and Ry)

T: Mommy, is that a Yarn Cake?

 

Me: Yes, sweetheart, it is.

T: Are you going to put a candle in it?

What a doll. Love him!

Rhubarb You Could Love

My quest to bake something new with rhubarb may have ended. I love a good rhubarb crisp and I will never turn down jam made with it, but in my house the rhubarb was either stockpiled for an end-of-season jamming or met with little interest on the the dessert plate (the crispy parts and vanilla ice cream was always eaten though). I’ve tried rhubarb in cookies (no), white chocolate-rhubarb muffins (extra-no!) and a blueberry-rhubarb sauce over salmon (there was bacon and butter also involved so that success was a no-brainer).

But a late winter shopping trip on Amazon for my son’s birthday somehow also turned up Rustic Fruit Desserts, a seasonally inspired fruit cookbook that managed to cram rhubarb in nearly every recipe in Spring. Needless to say, I was in love!

I give you the Lemon Rhubarb Bundt Cake, with a gratuitous lemon glaze, baked not in a bundt pan because its in storage for our pending move. Two 9x5 loaf pans have substituted very well. And the second loaf freezes exceptionally in the presences of the rhubarb-haters. I’ve made this four times in as many weeks and I can’t stop. Its so darn easy and tasty that I may have to outsource my jam.

There is enough tartness from the lemon so that even my husband and our au pair have a hard time passing it up. The rhubarb gets soft and is sliced fine enough that its not stringy and keeps it moist for several days (if I can get it to last that long).

A great cookbook for the rhubarb lover, or if you’re looking for converts.

Happy Birthday to me!

 

Happy Birthday to me

I got a swift from my mom

And a ball winder too (yay)

Happy Birthday to me!

Where are the wool pearls?

 

 

In the Etsy world of Madelinetosh there is a legend. Its a felted pearl necklace that used to shine its wooly face as the only thing that ever seems to be for sale on the site. But its no longer there, so we must console ourselves with hoping it will appear from time to time when you least expect it.

Behold: my 4yo that who somehow got a hold of the pearls while watching Kung Fu Panda at Meme’s (grandma) over Easter weekend.

My Baby Can Write His Name!

I’m at lunch with my boys on my day off and while I’m signing the bill my 4yo borrows the pen to “write his name”. ‘This’ll be good’, I think, and when I look over after I’m done he’s already got the T and i down. What? When did he learn to write his name?? (He does go to preschool after all, I’m happy to see that he is learning something concrete there.) He did request help with the first m and the e, but the rest was all my little lefty. So proud.

I’m always sad he’s getting bigger. I still remember telling him not to get bigger when we dropped him off for daycare when he was 4 months old. He now gives me roughly the same response when I tell him not to get any bigger: ‘I AM bigger, but I’ll always be your best guy.’

Looking Up

 

Yes, that’s the ceiling on the left. Legs up in the air, hips at least 10” off the ground, Project Runway finale on, swatching some Madelinetosh Eyre in Conservatory, hoping that baby (peeking up behind the needles) finds its way. The last couple days baby has been head up in my ribs,and at 34 weeks, its time to get flipping.

So here is me hoping baby finds its way. Find the cervix little one. Can’t wait to meet you, but I can’t do this very often…my arms fall asleep trying to knit.

Love, mom.