Herman Watch Part 1

A few days ago, I was walking to the mailbox and I saw our driveway had a hole in it. Didn't think too much of it till over the weekend, we were pulling in to the driveway and saw a little chipmunk popping out of it. Of course by the time I got out of the car with camera in hand, he'd retreated. Boo.

So now, we wait. Well, I'll wait anyway. The hubs just smiles and nods when I get up to my oddities. I've named the little chipmunk Herman. I'm assuming it's a boy.

In the meantime, I'm slightly worried about the structural integrity of our driveway. It's slopey and has a bunch of stuff on the side to reinforce it. Now a hole? Yikes. I fear waking up to a leaning house one fine day.

Three Strikes... And You Get Cut

The hubs is a sweet, intelligent man. He can beautifully debate concepts and subjects us mortals cannot dream of comprehending. But the hubs, I do believe, has his foot firmly wedged in his piehole.

Exhibit A: We're getting dressed and I pull out a little capelet and slip it on. As I'm walking to the mirror, he says, "You look like you're about to ride a horse!".

I took it off and gave him Super Stink Eye.

Exhibit B: I finally finish stitching all the pieces of my very first sweater together, and run to his study so excitedly to show him my handiwork. I try it on and he announces, "You look so motherly!".

I stormed out of there fuming. He's so very close to having MY foot firmly wedged in another hole.

Human Biology 101

While laying in bed this morning...

Hubs: "My chest hurts! Is my heart on my right?!"
Me: "No."
Hubs: "PHEW!"

Is It Already Time For Pressies?

My birthday's not for another three weeks, but look what I got in the mail from Anthropologie!
   Okay so a 15% discount isn't exactly a pressie, but it's still nice. Loving the little pouch it came in more than anything else.

Clucky, Clucky, Clucky

This afternoon, I went with my mum-in-law to visit her sister's new grandson in MA and my cluckiness is now through the roof. I spent the entire time playing with his big sister Emma, and the reason I don't have a picture of the new baby is that I was busy having tea and pizza, and playing dress-up. And giving big tickles and making belief that my knee was a horsie. (I only managed this picture because Emma wanted to see my kitty cats on the camera and someone thought to take this picture while I had the camera out.)

Up till a few years ago, I really didn't care too much for spending time with children. These days, you have to drag me from them. I don't know if it's because I'm now in my early 30s or whether my hubs is the first man who ever made me actually want kids. Either way, I can't wait to start a family... hopefully soon. In the meantime I have my toddler nieces to play with.

 [Clucky: Australian slang for feeling broody or maternal]

Meet Otto the Owl

I finally finished Otto the Owl! He's definitely a little cutie... My favourite bit are his ears. I love how they just stick up like that. And even though I think his bum's a tiny bit wonky, I need to get over it. According to the hubs, I'm insane and I imagine imperfections. Bah.

Otto will be packed and on his way to Singapore to live with my niece, Lea, very soon. I hope she likes him!

I Think Someone Needs A Hug

Yesterday in the kitchen... Hubs: Okay I'm going back to the study... If you hear screaming and crying, that's just me studying for the Bar. Me: Soooo same as everyday then? Hubs: Yup. I'm not looking forward to him actually taking the Bar exam because he'll be a pukey, nervous mess and it'll be awful to watch. I've joked about locking him in the basement for the duration of it, but all I want to do is hold him in my arms and sing him sweet lullabies.

Then again, it's nothing a bit of Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Cake can't make better.

Nerd Alert

So much want.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

In honour of St. Patrick's, I baked my first Irish soda bread. It's my contribution to tonight's corned beef and cabbage dinner at my in-law's. Trouble is, this bread has raisins in it and my mum-in-law detests raisins. My brain is still unable to compute this information.

Anyway, hope everyone has a fun St. Patty's!

* Update: It is too frickin' awesome for words. I have decided it is so awesome it has crossed over to dangerous. Must. Not. Eat. AnotherslicetonightorIwillregretit.

Things That Make You Go Aww

Earlier this month, my hub's cousin's baby boy finally arrived to greet us. So I felt the need to knit him tiny, little things. They seriously make my womb weep.
    Slightly less sweet, I spied one of our toilet paper rolls sporting a little heart in its middle. I thought that was cute. Like I've said before, I'm easily amused. Side note: I'd originally wanted to make these toilet paper holders for sale at the store, but everyone who's seen it kind of looks at me quizzically. And by everyone, I mean my mum-in-law. I think they're cute and having grown up with them in Singapore, they're perfectly normal to me. I might do a couple and see what happens though.

Honeymoon? Is Over

We have a tiny fridge whiteboard where we leave each other notes. I tell him to take meat out of the fridge to defrost, he tells me we need this, that and the other from the supermarket. Sometimes, I feel the need to respond.

I'm quite delightful and eloquent, no?

Help Da Police?

The hubs sent this to me today and I had a good laugh, so I thought I'd share. Made me think this is how I'd have to approach my future kids' musical education...

By the way, the clip's from the UK sketch show Rush Hour.

Just A Couple Things

This morning I woke up and found out that my favouritest band Nine Inch Nails is playing Singapore this August. I don't live there anymore, but my old gig buddy does, and she always laments how unfortunate and unfair it is that hardly any band worth paying to see ever goes there. And when we lived in Perth, Australia, we'd always whine about how bands would go to the eastern states and bypass us. We sure like to complain.

So I got a hold of her on MSN and told her. Caps and many exclamation points were involved. After she recovered from the shock, she kept asking me if I was kidding. Now, there are two things I never kid about.

One is Nine Inch Nails. The other is chocolate.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Jane's Addiction will open there too. It'd be two days after her birthday so she deserves something good. We're going to have to drive 1.5 hours to see them in MA. I know to most ppl in the States driving that distance is nothing. I am a city girl. Anything outside of 20 minutes makes me want to go foetal and weep.

The other thing, was that my hubs and I are easily amused and are totally amazed that it's Friday the 13th again. Two in a row! How could it be! Seriously, we're very easily amused.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

The Glee On His Face

Watching my hubs root around in a record / CD store so gleefully thoroughly tickles me... so I had to take a picture. By the way, he announced that he'd like to give up his law career and work at this record store in Northampton. That's one long commute honey, but you follow your heart.

He makes me laugh. A lot.

Shop Update

Another Main Street Scarf added to the shop! I love how this one came out... definitely need to knit myself and the hubs one each before next autumn comes round. Can't wait to see what colour combinations the dear boy will come up with...

Updates have been few and far between because winter's winding down and I'm going to have less knitwear and more everyday things up soonish. And lately, my knitting's been for family and myself, so there's that too.

The Tie Is On The Needles

I started the hub's stripey tie last night, and I must say I quite like it. The green doesn't show up quite right on the picture... it's really a deeper olive than that.

I'm working on a sweater right now too, and about to cast on the owl for my niece in Singapore. I had to find a nice un-scratchy, non-wool yarn to use because I don't want it to be uncomfortable for her to hold the owl doll. A year-round humidity level of 90% can get pretty icky pretty fast.

Then again I'd like the snow to stop already. It's time for spring please.

Must. Knit. Now.

I've no kids as yet, but I adore looking through knits for kids. I have friends and cousins who've popped out babies, so when I feel the need to make something itty bitty, I always have someone to give them to. Lately I've been obsessed by Lucinda Guy's books, specifically And So To Bed... because the patterns are just too adorable for words. In an ideal world, I'd knit every bloody thing in the book, but I'm trying to stay sane and just pick a couple. There's a cute little dress I'd like to make for my cousin's daughter, as well as this gorgeous owl named Otto.
  And this Roost Blanket makes me want to have a baby just so I can knit this and keep it.
  Ms. Lucinda Guy -- What are you doing to me!

Utterly Cute

How cute is this ring by JDavis Studio?!

Why Am I Not Surprised

My dear hubs is a sad bunny today. We went back to Raven Used Books to finally purchase the copy of Clarissa he's wanted for months. And it was gone. Of course. Why wouldn't it be gone? The poor boy moped around the shop for eons searching for the book, just in case it'd been misplaced. Nooope.

Then we had amazing Mexican food and yummy chocolate chip cookies (what a combo!), and the pain was lessened somewhat. No, no pictures of the food -- I was halfway through my second fish taco before the thought even entered my mind. I'm smooth like that.

I have been commissioned by the hubs to knit him a tie. Yeah, a tie. At the yarn store he pulled out this really horrid orange yarn. Thankfully since we've been married, I've drilled into his head that 99% of the time, listening to the wife is the right course of action. And so, when I'm done knitting, he'll end up with a sort of cerulean blue and olive green striped tie. I hope I have it done by Easter because his mum will pee her pants laughing.

More Fashion Inspiration

Love this outfit!

Picture from The Sartorialist.

Fashion Inspiration

There's something so great about this outfit. Picture from The Sartorialist.

More Evil Catalogues

Came home to find the new Urban Outfitters catalogue in my mailbox. Oh dear.
   

These are some of my favourites, and that yellow bag's an older item because it's currently on sale. And yet way more than I'd want to spend. I'm just glad the closest UO is 40 minutes away. Always be thankful for small mercies, right?

Of course there's an Anthropologie 15 minutes away and I 'accidentally' wandered in there after a lunch date today. I had to dash right out because I wanted to grab everything.

That yellow dress is magnificent. Especially with the belt around the band.

Le sigh.

Shop Update

Just updated the shop with the Main Street Scarf.

I had to pry them out of the hub's hands and promise to knit him one in whatever colours he chooses. He's lucky he's pretty.

Frankie Mag

One of the things I really miss about Australia is being able to read Frankie Magazine. My copies have travelled with me to the States and I pore over them every now and again, sighing to myself. Perhaps I ought to start sighing audibly when the hubs is within earshot so he may be racked with guilt that he made me leave my beloved Oz. Yeah, I amaze myself with my brilliance too.

One fine day I'll shell out the A$125.50 (US$80.85) for annual international subscriptions. Till then I'll just make do with their website and continue sighing.

Current Favourite Cookie

My love for chocolate is no secret. So it surprises me that a cookie that contains no chocolate has edged into first place on the cookie list. I know, it's completely baffling.

I saw a recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies on Smitten Kitchen, and when she described them as "thick" and "chewy", it was physically impossible not to make them. Plus the hubs is a huge fan of that particular cookie.

It was indeed thick and chewy. And very tender, even days after baking. So freakishly good. But I've decided I best not bake them too often because I couldn't stop eating the bloody things. My hubs has robotic self-control, while I have zilch. I kept telling myself the oatmeal's healthy and the raisin used to be fruit so it's not that bad. Riiiiiiight.

In other news, my husband eats weird things. Seen here is his peanut butter and banana sandwich. Ack.
He saw me eating a banana the other day and remarked that it seemed wrong that I was eating it by itself. I'm not the one who goes against nature, sweetie.

Sometimes, You Can't Even Be Annoyed

The hubs decided he was going to finally buy a book he'd been stalking for months at Raven Used Books. Every time we'd see it on the shelves, he'd pick it up, stare at it for a bit, then put it right back. We got to the store, and this is what we found:


It was impossible to stay mad.

Anthro Love

Anyone who knows me knows I adore Anthropologie. I just received the March catalogue and I'm still drooling. I'm a total dress slut, and even though I love separates, pretty dresses always make me giggle like a schoolgirl.
   
These are my favourites so far... trust me, once I see them in person the list will become ridiculously long. Which is why I don't visit too often because self-restraint is quite taxing indeed.

And then there's the Numerical mug.


It has my age on it. Perhaps that's a sign? Hee!

Bracing Myself

I hear killing ladybugs brings bad luck. Hence the title. We had two ladybugs living in our bathroom for the past couple weeks, and I thought that was cute. We had bathroom pets! Who wouldn't that?

The other day I'm washing my face, and one of them decides to dive into the sink... and got washed down. I told my hubs and he muttered something about staying away from me in case bad luck befell me.

Then yesterday the other bug, possibly having lost its lust for life after its partner went byebyes, got squished on our bath mat. Now, I don't know if it was my husband or I who did the actual squishing since we were in there at the same time.

Poor little ladybugs... I kind of miss them. Everyday I'd play the Find-The-Ladybug game because they'd be in a different corner of the bathroom.

Yeah, I need a life. You're right.