Gosh, what a slacker!

I can't believe its been this long without my posting anything - I'm such a slacker!! Gettting back from CA Sunday near midnight and turning right around and leaving for NJ at 8am the next morning plus jet lag really threw me for a loop. I had so much to catch up on at the new job after being gone for a week, plus lost time and work piling up from being in NJ on business. Not to mention that I needed to train for my half marathon last weekend AND my master's program semester ended 8/31. Whew - its was NUTS. Oh yeah, and an earthquake and a hurricane that hit us directly here in Va Beach. I swear - did the rapture really happen and we're all just still left here? But we didn't realize it before now? What's next? Locusts? Sheesh. Makes me all nervous about 12/21/12 now.....you know, the end of the world and all.

Well, I did catch up on work, our house survived and I did complete the half marathon! woot! It was great but I was slow. At least I really did run the whole thing which was my goal. I'm going to work on getting faster next. Right after my toenails fall off. Seriously. I think my toenails are going to fall off again, like the did the last time I walked the half marathon 2 years ago. My toenails hurt so much still that I just know its going to happen and it totally sucks. I bought the right shoes and everything - I think I didn't tie them tight enough so my foot wouldn't slide forward. They were a full size larger than I normally wear - just so this wouldn't happen. I also had my shoes professionally fitted - so this wouldn't happen. Oh well! At least its not Summer and my toes will be hidden most of the winter. Last time it took a full year - 12 complete months - for my big toe to grow back and look the normal length again. I'm going to get this shirt:

I am registered for a 10K in October and another half in the Outer Banks (yep the place that was nearly washed away from Irene) in November.

Hope all of you are doing GREAT! I miss everyone!

Leila and Ben Patterns GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Leila and Ben Patterns GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

One month left in the summer? really?

The summer is flying by. I've only been to beach a few times, one time to the water park, a few times to Busch Gardens. I had so many plans for this summer. I have been doing a good job with my time - taking days off to spend with the kids and working in the evening as well. It is so very nice to have flexibility in job to go in whenever I want. Stress at work is lower than its been in a while - regardless of the looming fact that we could be closed and laid off at anytime. I'm contemplating getting masters since work would pay for it - so that I have to put on my resume in the event I am laid off. I'm not even sure a Master's degree would make that much of a difference, really. If I could use the degree to learn how to run my own business, now that would be a different story. Anyway - back to summer - I turned 40, DH turned 40. I've been traveling a lot for fun and not at all for work. Been to some amazing concerts and had some amazing experiences with all the traveling. No complaints, its been quite an awesome year so far. Now its time to plan for travel for the family. I'd like to go to Legoland in CA and Disney World in FL. We also still have Busch Garden's tickets to use.
We've been getting a ton of stuff done around the house. Since Lainey is bigger we actually have 20 mins or so at a time that might be uninterrupted or when she's actually not destroying something or putting herself in danger or running down the street. We still have a lot on the list to go - but I know we'll get a lot more done in the weekends to come! Its been very motivating!

Is it really the middle of Summer?

Alana had her first birthday already! wow - I can't believe it. My sister celebrated it with her when the family visited Virginia last month. Lainey really had a wonderful time and really enjoyed dressing up as a fairy!

Weather has been beautiful and we've been getting a lot done around the house and having a lot of fun. Mr. Cupcakes and I planned to make a special effort to be sure we planned fun time with the kids this summer and not just worked on projects all summer long. In fact Mr. C is at Kings Dominion right now - on a weekday - with Will. They've been texting me pictures all day long of all the roller coasters they've been on today. Will is having a great summer so far.

Lainey is swimming well in the pool, she's willing to go underwater on her own, holding her breath. She's not afraid anymore - so the next step is to add swimming and she'll be done!

OMG - my favorite knitting needles ever...

There really is a Santa Claus - because who else would have these available in December!!??!! Way cool. Way expensive, but way cool. hmmm - if you bought addi's at $12-$14 each, well then they'd pay for themselves after 10 purchases....oh so many ways to jusify the cost. *sigh*

We took the kids to Hunt Club Forest - it was a great time - they had a live nativity scene including a real camel! They had bonfires where you could roast hot dogs or s'mores. Santa Claus was there, there was a fully lit up with xmas lights petting zoo, play area, and an all new Christmas barn full of animated stuffed animals in a complete winter scene. It really was magical!

They also had this really cool maze of lights that, as you can see, Will enjoyed running through at top speeds and trying to get to the big christmas tree in the center and then find his way back out again. He has so much fun!

Life in Minature or Farts and Craps

I decided to do Arts and Crafts (or 'Farts and Craps' as Will likes to call it) with Will for a little fun. So I gave polymer clay a try. Its really very easy and rather addictive. We'll be making some christmas presents and spending time making stuff up. Will made sharks, squid, the Loch Ness Monster and other interesting stuff. I decided to make mugs of hot chocolate, coffee, and a cake. Here are some pictures of some of the items. I want to make more b/c its really pretty easy. The neat part is you just cook it at 275° for 15 mins and it completely cures it! Also, the clay doesn't air dry, its stays malleable for days. I want to give liquid polymer a try - there are some cool effects that can be done with liquid clay. Anyway - give it a try - here are some of our results. *PS - the wires are head pins that I will bake in the clay so I can turn them into beads for knitting stitch markers or bracelets or whatever....





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The sweetest thing...

I was looking around Ravelry and found this guy who knit the most beautiful blanket for his mom. I'd been wanting to make a wedding blanket for someone I know that had some celtic cables - and I came across this. He actually videotaped his mom recieving the blanket for her 50th birthday. For those of us who knit, making something like this would take hours and hours over months and months. Its just - well - the sweetest thing! The priceless part is how proud he is to give something so meaningful to his mom. Gush!

Pretty and Simple

Saw this on Elann today - I really like how this looks and would make some nice and quick Christmas gifts. I also pulled it up on Ravelry - I see that the ScottishLamb has made one. Hers is the featured photo - very nice! I've followed her blog for a few years now - I started reading it b/c she and her family were stationed in Germany - and I just loved that place as many people know when my husband and I visited there 7 yrs ago. Anyway - check it out and I'd love to hear if anyone else had made this !

Getting cold outside!

It sure is getting cold outside! It actually flurried just a bit the other morning - Lainey's first ever time seeing snow. I am busy cleaning the house and logging 'inventory' - making lists of the things I've bought and for whom so that I don't overspend! I'm going to be using Google documents - in addition to the shared calendar - we're using to track the kids' practices, boy scout meetings, races, etc. If we track our Xmas expenses - i'm thinking we'll spend a lot less this year!

I'm also making lists of holiday crafts I want to make. Going to Michael's today to get some felt to make felt gingerbread men and pre-tend cookies to decorate the tree whenever we get it. I found this site - http://flipflopsandapplesauce.com/. It has great crafts and links to crafts that are great for the kids during the holidays.

I've been Buble'd - again!

Did I mention we were in 1st row? see? wow - maybe a little too close up?

Well, its happened again. Another stalking episode of a hunk with money, looks and talent on the older woman groupie show. Yup - that's me! Well and my sister too. She's the one who got me involved in this whole wonderful mess. We did a road trip to go see Michael Buble - that little hunk of Canadian bacon. We had a great time and as always, my sister scored big, and I simply benefitted from being related to her. She scored us FRONT ROW seats! Uh huh, oh yeah! And that's not even the best part. The hug and kiss at the end of the night while he was signing our autographs was! Wooo hooooo - and did I mention - he smells good too? ~*~swoon~*~ Here's some awesome shots and some video as well.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/88498543@N00/sets/72157607758654839/show/

Petal Hat

I'm making the upside down daisy hat from Susan B. Anderson's "itty bitty hats." I've made it in cotton ease for my new little neice Alana, but its clearly too big so I'll see if it fits someone else. I like the color combination. Finished the petals (I added 2 rows to make the petals a little longer) now all I have to do is sew on the petals and voila! I have so much I want to make - and just not enough time to do it in!

Maroon 5 concert was great

Been a long time since I posted - but its been a busy summer with toddler, an active 7 yr old boy, and a high stress full-time+ job (whose job isn't high stress these days)?! Anyway, its been a great summer and I plan to post pics and things we've done this summer! I got 7th row to a Maroon5/Counting Crows concert about a month ago - and got some great pics. Some of my pics even got chosen to be posted to a high profice Maroon 5 fan website. My sister and her son got to meet the bands - very cool too!

I've gotten some knitting done - that's a great personal accomplishment! Hope everyone else had a great summer too!

Back from long business trip and look! Cocoa swap box!

DSC_0794, originally uploaded by RhondaMHC.

I recently returned from a very long business trip - hence no posts since late January! Well, upon my return, look what I found! Some awesome gifts from my secret pal! How wonderful is this??? She sent me the most decadent Dove bars (I ate one so one is missing - oops!), a GORGEOUS cocoa colored mug - its just the perfect size and weight. She also sent me a tape measure - needed one! The most decadent dark chocolate marshmallows - simply divine! And you should see the adorable stitch markers - they are handmade, came in a lovely little burgandy organza drawstring bag, and the most fun yarn! Its fuzzy and mulit colored - gorgeous! What you don't see is some pretty little crystal heart votives and a the most adorable little fuzzy valentine's day guy! My daughter has confiscated and won't give it back! Thank you so very much Secret Pal - you are simply AWESOME!!! She did such an amazing job and was so thoughful! You really did a wonderful job and I thank you so sincerely! It was such a welcome surprise when I came back from out of town! Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!!!

I've been a little busy....realizing my dream since I was 14!!

My dear sister got me into see my absolute idol from when I was 14 years old - bck in 1984 - and for those of you who were teenagers in the 80's - this group of fabulous boys from England were so hot you had to say their name twice.....who is it you say? DURAN DURAN! Yes - I'm a groupie and for an hour and a half the other day, I was 14 again. No kids, no long and committed relationship, no stressful job, no bills to pay, and no college funds to save up for.....just me, my older sister, and I swear - I could feel my hair perk up - wanting to be BIG again! Even though I KNOW there is a hole in the ozone layer with my name on it from all the AQUANET I used in the 80's - big hair, big earrings, big shoulder pads, and skinny jeans - it all came back to me as I sat FOUR FEET away from my teenage crush - Simon LeBon. *SWOON* This took place at a local oceanfront restaurant, 40-50 other women just like me, all us realizing a DREAM. Nick Rhodes was also there - there were promoting an upcoming tour and recently released new album. How neat. Sigh. How divine. Sigh. I remember when I went to their concert - I was so far back I couldn't really see them at all performing - but I remember just thinking I couldn't believe I was actually in the same room with Simon LeBon! Fast forward 24 years later (OMG, Am I really that old? really?) and I'm freakin' FOUR FEET away from Simon LeBon! All I was thinking was, I'm actually in the same room as Duran Duran. Are they really sitting right there talking? Did he just look at me? OMG. Do you think I could actually TOUCH him? Uhhh huh. Oh yeah. Not only touch but actually TALK to them - and not like you talk to your computer - they actually heard you and TALKED BACK. OMG. I was SUCH a girl. SUCH a 14 year old girl.....and it was (in my best valley girl accent) Oh Ma Gawd - it was like totally awesome!!

Hubby won his race

DH (dear husband) won his race in Charlotte this past weekend. He doesn't usually race down there but he decided to give it a try after they invited him. He was very happy he won and of course Will was excited that his dad brought home a trophy. I'm not sure how much longer DH will race, but he enjoys it, and at our age its hard to find thing you really enjoy. When you find it - you should enjoy every minute of it. I know he does - I do try to relate - but its just not something I enjoy. I've told him to keep racing his cars for as long as he wants. Besides, it gives me a great excuse to keep knitting and buying yarn without guilt!

Cocoa Swap update

Now that we're in the thick of 'Winter'... has your knitting changed to match the season? Are you moving on from dishcloths, and tank tops to afghans, hats and mittens? Has your yarn changed from silk or cotton to wool, superwash or heavier cottons?
I don't think I'm a slow knitter - my time is just limited with a 1yr old, a high stress job that requires a lot of hours, and a need for 8 hours of sleep each night. So while most other people are looking ahead to spring and summer, I'm still working on finishing my winter projects! I've not found the right cotton yarn yet that gives enough not to hurt my hands (any suggestions?) but I do very much like cotton yarns. I got my shipment from WEBS from their year end sale. I must admit, I'm a little disappointed with the yarn choices I made. I guess the pictures looked better online than what I selected. I know I took a chance - but I wanted to try something different since I always seem to buy the same type of yarn.

This is Lains Du Nord - Cashsilk. I bought it in a creamy off white, a light grey, and a deep chocolate brown. It was simply such a good deal - I wasn't sure what I'd make with it - perhaps a nice layette or something for my sister's baby to be.

I also bought this - Bazic Wool superwash - I liked the colors - teal blue, nice apple green and pink. The yarn is a little nubby - neat texture - and very soft. I took a few pictures of LuLu in the cream bolero I made for her. She's walking around playing with my Blackberry - pretending to talk on the phone. She loves to push the buttons, of course, goodness knows who she has called! Can you see I didn't sew on the left sleeve yet? Hee Hee. It fits her nicely - 3/4 sleeves and all....

Cupcake ice cream cones (say THAT fast!)

So this is the Nordic ware cupcake pan I bought from Willams-Sonoma at Christmas. I know many people make cupcakes right in the cone itself -but I thouht this would be really cool. Well, it is and it isn't. I wasnt sure how much to fill the pan with batter - I used pinapple supreme! Yum! Notice the lovely mounding on top? Perfect shape for icing just like a real ice cream cone, no? No.

Just in case you wanted to see what the inside of the pan looked like - to get the 3D idea of the cone shape it makes.

So I popped 'em out. Perfect. Well, not so.....they're TOP HEAVY. ugh! so as you can see, I had to CUT OFF the lovely roundness perfect for icing just like a real ice cream cone. Also, notice the extra cupcakes on the side. A box of duncan hines cake mix made enough to fill (overfill I realized now) the pan mold and have enough left for 4 traditional cupcakes.

Et Voila! Ze perfect ice cream cone cup-a-cake-ah, no? Well, actually no again. Its still so freakin frackin top heavy guess what happened after I took this picture? (oh and notice the back up cupcake in the background - that little worker cupcake is holding up the star of the show there!)

The cake is so heavy (read - deliciously moist) that it can't stand up!?! An ice cream cone you can't stand up! Grrr. My dear husband, always supportive replied, well maybe you're just supposed to hold them........its honestly too much cake to eat and the proportion of frosting to cake just isn't right. Darn it!

So, here's some calorie free cupcake goodness for your viewing pleasure! mmm. Pinapple supreme cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. *oh! and replace the water in the batter with pinapple juice. wow.