Foyer crown molding

It's really pretty. You'd never know how much cussing was involved to get the angles and fussy-cutting done right, would you?

Pretty Penny

Our little dog, the Pretty-Pretty-Princess of the household scared us to death yesterday. I was folding laundry and she was hanging out with me, wanting to be near. She'd had a pretty gross bout of the poops a couple of days before, but seemed to be recovering. Well, yesterday she leaned over the edge of her Pretty-Pretty-Pet-Pouf and threw up bile. Not terribly unusual for a dog that has difficulty with limits. In the summer she will run and run until she pulls something, then come inside, gorge on water and throw up. Or she'll eat a bunch of fresh grass, or snow, or leaves, or who knows what, and throw up. Or she'll bolt her food, choke on the chunks of kibble, and then throw up. She's worse than a frat boy on a Saturday night as far as the puking goes.
Anyhow, I went downstairs to ask the hubby to clean it up, especially since I had to clean up after her earlier in the week. She'd been fine all day, ate and drank with gusto, and spent the afternoon snuggled in her Pretty-Pretty-Pet-Pouf after she finagled it to cover the floor vent in the bedroom. This dog loves her luxury. But by the time he made it upstairs, she had thrown up again, but this time it was blood. A lot of it.

Needless to say I had her packed up in the car and was on the way to the vet within five minutes.

They examined her, found blood in her stool as well, and immediately had her stay overnight for observation and the works, putting her on fluids and strong antibiotics while they waited for the blood work to confirm their suspicions. They think she has canine hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, which is treatable as long as you catch it early enough and treat it. She got to come home this evening, after being hooked up to ivs all night and through the day. She's on some heavy doses of antibiotics, but all looks well. Needless to say she is very relieved to be home. She walked in the door, immediately checked her food dishes for a treat she thought she well-deserved, checked in on all her toys, and flumped down in the living room. Oh, and swears she'll never throw up in the house again if this is how it ends: at the stinkin' vet.

newsletters

I just realized a blogger I've been reading lately has written a letter to her daughter every month since she's been born. Dooce was recently published in Real Simple Magazine as part of a segment of parents writing letters to their children for them to read at important milestones in their lives. It was called "Read This When." I read that too, and loved it, but just realized today that the magazine letter was just one tiny piece of the picture.

She's in month 46. 46 letters documenting in fierce and witty detail the ins and outs of growth and change. On both sides: the child and the parent.

Wow.

I have to admit something at this point.

I have been writing short letters to the new baby every week or so. They're not for sharing with the public, but a way for me to cope and to connect with this new little one. And to heal. And to tell this little one I'm here and present, not always lost in this grief I feel when my thoughts turn to Burke and the horrible day we said goodbye to him.

I'm saying hello instead.

Shearing progress

Here's a progress picture of the beard about four weeks in. Who knows, by spring he could look like Phil!

Foyer and railings

B finished the railings for the basement stairway about twenty minutes ago. Take a look:

He designed them to be removable when we buy that large 72" TV so it can be easily negotiated down the stairs. And the in-keg-erator.

And here's the foyer with the drywall and paint completed. All that's left in this area is to replace the light fixture, redo the floors, and get new carpet installed on the stairs. There's a little view of the stairway to the basement with the brand new railings as well.

This is the stuff B loves, the stuff that keeps him going until 8:10pm after getting up at 4am and putting in a full day of work. He is genius with the awesome woodworking details. Well, he's just plain genius at most everything he does. Need proof? Come on over and check out the house now that projects are slowly coming to a close. A man with some serious skills lives here.

Recent projects

This week I thought I was actually getting morning sickness for the first time. I only had a little nausea when I was carrying Burke, and have been a little less light-headed this round, but a little more queasy. No luck. It ended up being a stomach virus or the flu. I forgot that when you throw up a lot the vessels around your eyes pop and it looks like you have red freckles. Ugg.

Luckily it was quick to pass, but I was still down for three days.

I thought I'd post quickly on the craft front, and share more about the house tomorrow... I still have to take photos and stuff of the new porch roof, finished drywall, cabinetry that's been started in the kitchen, new side door, and finished tile work in the kitchen.

Anyhow, here's a quick in-progress shot of another little toy, this one for little L's first birthday. Her name is Lucille. It's the bunny pattern, but with modifications for Kitty ears.
And here's Lucille, all complete. I decided to put the heart tag on the ribbon instead of sewing it on. I know that I sew them on super-securely, but I just worry too much about them getting chewed off. This way the ribbon scarf can just be removed if it becomes too "interesting." Here's hoping L loves her little kitty.
I've also decided that I'll be making one item a month for the new little one. So, here is a shot of September's item: a Sno-Cap hat knitted out of super-soft Moda Dea Dream yarn. I modeled it after my gnome hat pattern and am now convinced I need to make matching booties.

And here is the October baby item: my first knitted diaper soaker. Technically I just finished it, but I'm still counting it as October. I used the simplest pattern I could find, and I'm feeling pretty darn good about it! The only part that threw me was "weaving" the stitches together at the crotch. It took me several tries and a bit of cussing. I'm pretty sure I twisted several of the stitches when I was redoing it for the umpteenth time. I used more Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride yarn ( I love this stuff). It's 85% wool, 15% mohair. I know it will probably felt quite a bit when I wash it with the rest of the cloth diapers, but I'm okay with that. This yarn looks and feels AWESOME felted. I'll probably make another one with patterns and experiment with machine washable wool. Maybe I'll make one in linen for the summer.
The knitting fever has stuck full force. If anyone is in need of gnome hats, let me know. I've been making extras in between all these projects and am thinking about trying to cobble together an etsy shop to sell them for more yarn and supplies for the Touching Little Lives group or maybe to begin working on a charity in Burke's name.